Printer

ABSTRACT

When the number of sheets that have been printed has reached the number of sheets guaranteed for printing, a number representing a upper limit of the number of sheets that can be printed, an ink jet printer declines to perform printing with an ink cartridge for which the number of sheets guaranteed for printing has been set, but when the number of sheets printed has not reached the number of sheets guaranteed for printing, performs printing of an image onto a recording sheet S by using the ink cartridge, the ink jet printer determining the number of sheets remaining N on the basis of the number of sheets printed that have been printed, and displaying on a display unit  82  the number of sheets remaining information display screen  80  incorporating a number of sheets remaining display unit  80   b  that causes visual recognition of a relation between the number of sheets guaranteed for printing and the number of sheets remaining.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a printing device that prints on aprint medium.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, a printing device has been proposed that ejects ink toprint and provides a user with information on the amount of inkremaining (For instance, refer to JP-A-2002-283670 (FIG. 15)). Thedevice described in this publication manages, as usage information, theamount of ink consumed during previous instances of printing, and on thebasis of the usage information calculated displays on a display unit thenumber of sheets, together with the amount of ink remaining.

A printing device has also been proposed that incorporates a function ofprinting on a print sheet by ejecting from nozzles of a print head inkcontained in a cartridge and a function of cleaning the nozzles byabsorbing from the nozzles ink contained in the cartridge. This devicealso manages the amount of ink remaining in the cartridge and when theamount of ink remaining reaches a certain value reduces to a half of anormal value the amount of ink to be used for cleaning (for instance,refer to JP-A-2005-59304 (FIG. 9)). This printing device makes itpossible to reduce the amount of ink used for cleaning, therebyincreasing the number of sheets that can still be printed.

In addition, a device has also been proposed that performs flushingwhile a printing operation is being performed. In this operation theflushing ejects ink onto an area in which printing is not taking place,so as to clear thickening of ink caused by evaporation from nozzles ofvolatile liquid contained in the ink (For instance, refer toJP-A-10-95132).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the printing device described in the JP-A-2002-283670, however, somecases have arisen in which if printing has been performed in conditionsthat are different from those of previous printings, the number ofsheets available for printing that is being displayed may differ fromthe number of sheets that can in practice be printed. The reason forthis is that the number of sheets that can still be printed isdetermined on the basis of usage information during prior printings, andthe number of sheets that can still be printed that is determined onthis basis is displayed. However, users wish to know the number ofsheets that can still be printed with the cartridge, and to ensure thata scheduled number of sheets can indeed be printed. Thus, there is adesire to ascertain with a greater degree of certainty the number ofsheets that can actually be printed.

In a printing device, it is possible to mount a cartridge in which thenumber of sheets guaranteed for printing has been set is the upper limitof the number of sheets that can still be printed, and to adopt a methodof control according to which use of the cartridge is terminated(described as shut-off control) whenever the number of sheets that hasbeen printed reaches the number of sheets guaranteed for printing. Ifsuch a shut-off control is adopted, a user can easily and clearlycalculate from the number of sheets that has been printed and the numberof sheets guaranteed for printing how many sheets can still be printedwith a cartridge that is mounted at that time. In this way, by checkingthe amount of ink remaining, as in previous cases, the need for a userto predict personally how many sheets can still be printed (the numberof sheets that can still be printed), can be eliminated, and this canenhance usability. In a printing device in which such shut-off controlhas been adopted, predictions are made about the amount of ink necessaryfor printing the number of sheets guaranteed for printing and the amountof ink that is likely to be consumed in the processes of cleaning orflushing to be performed before printing of the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing has been completed, and on the basis of thisprediction, the amount of ink to be filled in a cartridge beforeshipping from a plant is set.

However, when use of a cartridge has been terminated as a result ofshut-off control, the amount of ink remaining in a cartridge may stillbe greater if the number of actual instances of cleaning has beensmaller than a number of instances of cleaning that has been predicted.In contrast, if the number of actual instances of cleaning is largerthan the number of instances of cleaning that has been predicted, theamount of ink remaining in the cartridge may as the result of shut-offcontrol prove inadequate before use of the cartridge is terminated, andsuch an eventuality would force a user to cancel the instances ofcleaning. In addition, in a printing device in which such a shut-offfunction has been adopted, as described in JP-A-2005-59304, even thoughthe amount of ink used for cleaning is halved when an amount of inkremaining reaches a certain value, if the number of actual instances ofcleaning is greater than the number of times predicted, ink may stillrun out even before the number of pages actually printed reaches that ofpages guaranteed for printing. Thus, there is a danger of malfunctioningof the shut-off control occurring frequently. Similarly, when the numberof actual instances of flushing is greater than the number of instancesof flushing that have been scheduled, problems can nonetheless arise,insofar that, even though the number of pages that has been printed isless than the number of sheets guaranteed for printing, use of thecartridge may nonetheless be terminated as the amount of ink in thecartridge becomes insufficient. This would thus prevent implementationof shut-off control, or alternatively force a user to cancel flushing inorder to ensure printing of the number of pages guaranteed for printing.

One of objects of the present invention is to provide a printing device,a print alarm method, and a program therefore that, by means of acartridge containing colorants, can advice a user with a greater degreeof certainty of the number of pages remaining for printing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing device,a print alarm method, and a program therefore that can notify a user ofthe number of pages remaining for printing on the basis of a pluralityof more reliable printing media.

In a printing device in which the shut-off control has been adopted, afurther object of the present invention is not only to implementshut-off control, but also to guarantee reliable performing of thecleaning of nozzles whenever cleaning of nozzles is requested.

In a printing device in which the shut-off function has been adopted, astill further object of the present invention is not only to implementshut-off control, but also to provide a guarantee of reliable flushingwhenever a request for such flushing is made while printing is beingperformed.

In order to achieve at least one of the objects described above, thepresent invention is constructed as follows.

A first printing device of the present invention is a device forprinting on a print medium, including: a printing module that prints animage onto a print medium by using a cartridge that contains a colorant,and for which cartridge is set a number of sheets guaranteed forprinting, the number representing an upper limit of sheets that can beprinted; a notification module that notifies information on a number ofsheets remaining that can be printed with the cartridge; and a controlmodule that prevents the printing module from printing with thecartridge when the number of sheets printed by the printing module hasreached the number of sheets guaranteed for printing, and causes theprinting module to print an image onto the print medium with thecartridge when the number of sheets printed has not reached the numberof sheets guaranteed for printing, the control module determining, onthe basis of a number of sheets that have been printed, the number ofsheets remaining and causing the notification module to notifyinformation on thus determined number of sheets remaining.

In this first printing device, when the number of sheets that have beenprinted reaches the number of sheets guaranteed for printing which is anupper limit of the number of sheets that can still be printed, printingby use of a cartridge that contains colorants, and for which the numberof sheets guaranteed for printing has been set, is disabled, and whenthe number of sheets printed has still to reach the level of sheetsguaranteed for printing, printing of images onto a print medium isenabled by use of the cartridge. Specifically on the basis of the numberof sheets guaranteed for printing that in turn is based on the number ofsheets printed, the print device determines the number of sheetsremaining, a number that represents the number of sheets that can stillbe printed, and notifies information relating to the number of sheetsremaining that has thus been determined. In this way, by using acartridge for which the number of sheets guaranteed for printing hasbeen set, the printing device continues printing until such time as thenumber of sheets printed reaches that of the number of sheets guaranteedfor printing, and notifies users of information relating to the numberof sheets remaining, information obtained from the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing with this cartridge and that of sheets alreadyprinted. Thus, with a cartridge containing colorants it becomes possibleto notify users of the number of sheets that can still be printed moreaccurately. Here, “notifying users of information on the number ofsheets that can still be printed” includes, in addition to notifyingdirectly actual information on the number of sheets remaining, notifyingindirectly the information by notifying information on the number ofsheets that have been printed.

The first printing device of the invention may further include a storagemodule that stores the number of sheets remaining; and an acquisitionmodule that acquires a notification command for causing the notificationmodule to notify the number of sheets remaining. In this structure, thecontrol module, after causing the printing module to print an image ontothe print medium by using the cartridge, reduces the number of sheetsremaining and causes the storage module to store the number of sheetsremaining; and when the acquisition module has acquired the notificationcommand, the control module reads from the storage module the number ofsheets remaining and on the basis of the results read causes thenotification module to notify information on the number of sheetsremaining.

As the number of sheets remaining is stored in the storage module, theprinting device can manage relatively easily information on the numberof sheets remaining. Here, “store(s) the number of sheets remaining”includes, in addition to storing directly the actual number of sheetsremaining, storing indirectly the number of sheets remaining by storingthe number of sheets already printed which is reduced from the number ofsheets guaranteed for printing so as to compute the number of sheetsremaining. The storage module may be a memory element provided in thecartridge. In this way, since the number of sheets remaining is storedin the memory element provided in the cartridge, the cartridge can bereliably tied to the number of sheets that remain for printing by thecartridge.

In the first printing device of the invention, the control module maycause the notification module to notify the information on the number ofsheets remaining in a mode such that a relationship can be recognizedbetween the number of sheets guaranteed for printing and the number ofsheets remaining. It thus becomes possible for a user to recognize thenumber of sheets remaining for printing relative to the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing that constitutes an upper limit. Thenotification module may be a display module that can display images, andthe control module may cause the display module to display informationon the number of sheets remaining in a mode that facilitates recognitionof the relationship between the number of sheets guaranteed for printingand the actual number of sheets remaining, by causing the display moduleto display in different modes an area corresponding to the number ofsheets remaining and an area corresponding to the number of sheetsactually printed. In this manner, a user can recognize the number ofsheets remaining visually by means of images, Furthermore, as the numberof sheets remaining and the number of sheets actually printed aredisplayed in different modes as areas, a user can check visually, morerapidly than in a case in which a user reads written (characters), therelationship between the number of sheets guaranteed for printing andthat of sheets remaining. The control module may cause the display meansto display in different colors an area corresponding to the number ofsheets remaining and an area corresponding to the number of sheetsalready printed. In this way, it becomes easier to check visually anarea corresponding to the number of sheets remaining and an areacorresponding to the number of sheets already printed. When causing thedisplay module to display in different modes an area corresponding tothe number of sheets remaining and an area corresponding to the numberof sheets already printed, the control module may divide the number ofsheets guaranteed for printing into a plurality of blocks within theareas in which the number of sheets guaranteed for printing is displayedand cause the display means to display in different modes blockscorresponding to the number of sheets remaining and those correspondingto the number of sheets already printed. In this way, it becomes easierto differentiate and display by means of blocks an area corresponding tothe number of sheets remaining and an area corresponding to the numberof sheets actually printed. The control module may cause the displaymeans to display in a mode such that as the number of sheets printedincreases, out of areas in which the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting is displayed, areas corresponding to the number of sheetsremaining shrink. When printing takes place, the area corresponding tothe number of sheets remaining is reduced on the display screen, and itbecomes easier for a user to keep track of progress in the number ofsheets remaining.

In the first printing device of the invention, the control module maykeep track of an amount of colorant remaining in the cartridge, and whenthe amount of the colorant remaining falls below a first predeterminedamount remaining, or when the number of sheets remaining falls below afirst predetermined number of sheets remaining, the control module maycause the notification module to notify a message to the effect that thenumber of sheets that can be printed with the cartridge is limited, andas soon as, and after, the amount of the colorant remaining has reacheda second predetermined amount remaining, or the number of sheetsremaining has reached a second predetermined number of sheets remaining,the control module may cause the notification module to notify a messageto the effect that printing is not possible with the cartridge, andprevent the printing module from printing with the cartridge. In thisway, it becomes possible for a user to keep track, by means of messages,of decreases in the number of sheets remaining, or in the amounts ofcolorant remaining. Furthermore, because no printing takes place withthe cartridge after the amount of colorant remaining reaches the secondpredetermined amount remaining, any potential damage to the printingmodule caused by using it when the amount of colorant remaining islimited can be prevented. Moreover, because no printing takes place withthe cartridge after the number of sheets remaining reaches the secondpredetermined number of sheets remaining, printing between the start ofprinting and the second predetermined number of sheets remaining can beensured. The “second predetermined number of sheets remaining”, may beset to a number of sheets that guarantees the printing of the number ofsheets guaranteed for printing.

In the first printing device of the invention, the printing module mayprint a photographic image onto the print medium by using the cartridgethat contains ink as the colorant. In this way, in comparison with acase in which printing of characters and photographs is mixed together,fluctuations in the amounts of colorants consumed in the course of theprinting of images will be reduced, and the amounts of colorant thatneed to be contained in a cartridge in advance may be determinedrelatively easily. In addition, clear printing can be performed by usingink as a colorant when a photograph is printed.

A second printing device of the invention is a device for printing on aprint medium, including: a notification module that notifiesinformation; a printing module that prints an image onto a print mediumby using a cartridge that contains at least a guaranteed amount ofcolorant for printing, the guaranteed amount being an amount of colorantthat is adequate for printing an upper limit of sheets for printing, theupper limit set as an upper limit of the number of sheets that can beprinted; a storage module that stores information on amounts necessary,including amounts of colorants necessary, the amounts of colorantsnecessary being amounts of colorants that are adequate to print apredetermined number of sheets of each of multiple types of print media;and a control module that prevents the print module from printing withthe cartridge when the amount of colorant printed for printing by theprinting module has reached the amount of colorant guaranteed forprinting, and causes the printing module to print an image onto theprint medium with the cartridge when the amount of colorant printed hasnot reached the amount of colorant guaranteed for printing, the controlmodule determining, on the basis of the amounts of colorants printed,the amounts of colorants guaranteed for printing, and the information onamounts necessary stored in the storage module, the number of sheetsremaining for each of the multiple types of print media, and causing thenotification module to notify information on thus determined number ofsheets remaining.

When the amount of colorant printed reaches the amount of colorantguaranteed for printing, this second printing device does not permitprinting by use of a cartridge that contains colorant of at least theamount of colorant guaranteed for printing, but it does permit printingof images onto a print medium with this cartridge when the amount ofcolorant printed has not reached the amount of colorant guaranteed forprinting. On the basis of information on amounts necessary for multipletypes of print media, including the amounts of colorant already printed,the amount of colorant guaranteed for printing, and the amounts ofcolorant necessary, the printing device determines in respect of each ofthe multiple types of print media, the number of sheets remaining, andnotifies the numbers of sheets remaining thus determined. In otherwords, by using amounts of colorant guaranteed for printing thatcorrespond to an upper limit of sheets for printing, the amounts ofcolorant consumed during printing, and information about the amountsnecessary, including the amounts of colorant necessary, by using thecartridge until the upper print limit that is the upper limit forprinting is reached, the number of sheets remaining can be determinedfor each of the multiple types of print media while printing is takenplace. Thus, in comparison with a case in which no upper limit is setfor the number of sheets to be printed with the cartridge, and incomparison with circumstances where the number of sheets remaining isnotified by determining, on the basis of colorants used in printing inthe past, the number of sheets of various print media remaining, theprinting device of the present invention can notify a user of thenumbers of sheets remaining for printing corresponding multiple types ofprint media more accurately

In the second printing device of the invention, the control moduledetermines the amounts of colorant remaining in respect of each of themultiple types of printing media, on the basis of the amounts ofcolorant printed, the amounts of colorant guaranteed for printing, andon the basis of information on the necessary amounts stored in thestorage module. The control module may determine the amounts remainingfor printing, which constitutes the amounts of colorant that remainavailable for printing, on the basis of the difference between theamounts of colorant already used in printing and the amounts of colorantguaranteed for printing, and may determine the number of sheetsremaining in respect of each of the multiple types of print media bydividing the amounts of colorant remaining thus determined by thenecessary amounts of colorant that are contained in the informationrelating to amounts necessary.

In the second printing device of the invention, the storage module mayalso store the amount of colorant printed, and the control module may,after causing the print module to print an image onto the print mediumby using the cartridge, add an amount of colorant which has been usedduring the printing to the amount of colorant printed, and cause thestorage module to store the amount of colorant printed. In this way, itbecomes possible to store updated amounts of colorant that have beenprinted, thereby facilitating relatively easy management of amounts ofcolorant printed. Here, “store the amounts of colorant printed”includes, in addition to storing directly the amounts of coloringmaterial printed, storing the amounts of colorant printed indirectly bystoring the amount of colorant remaining, an amount that can compute theamount of colorant printed by subtracting this amount from the amount ofcolorant guaranteed for printing.

In the second printing device of the invention, the storage module mayalso stores the number of sheets remaining, and the control module may,after causing the printing module to print images onto the print mediaby using the cartridge, determine an amount of colorant printed to whichthe amount of colorant used in printing has been added. The secondprinting device may also determine the number of sheets remaining inrespect of each of the multiple types of printing media, on the basis ofthe amounts of colorant printed thus determined, the amounts of colorantguaranteed for printing, and the information relating to necessaryamounts stored in the storage module, and store in the storage module,the number of sheets remaining thus determined. In this way, as thenumber of sheets remaining for printing is stored in the storage modulewhen the printing module prints on a print medium, the number of sheetsremaining can be notified more rapidly than for instance in the case ofany printing device that determines the number of sheets remaining onlyafter a notification command has been issued relating to the number ofsheets remaining. Here, “store the number of sheets remaining”,includes, in addition to storing directly the number of sheetsremaining, storing the number of sheets remaining indirectly by storingthe number of sheets that has been printed, a number that can computethe number of sheets remaining by means of subtracting this number fromthe upper printing limit.

In the second printing device of the invention, in the aspect of storingin the storage module the amount of colorant printed and the number ofsheets remaining, the storage module may be a memory element provided inthe cartridge. In this manner, as information on the cartridge (such asthe amount of colorant printed) is stored in the memory element providedin the cartridge, the cartridge and the information on the cartridge canbe reliably linked.

The second printing device of the invention may further include anacquisition module that can acquire a notification command to the effectthat the notification module notify the number of sheets remaining, andwhen the acquisition module acquires the notification command, thecontrol module may cause the notification module to notify the number ofsheets remaining thus determined. In this way, it becomes possible tonotify the number of sheets remaining, whenever a user needs it.

In the second printing device of the invention, the storage modulestores the information on amounts necessary, information in which thenecessary amount of colorant has been defined on the basis of printingconditions, including at least one of bordered or borderless printing,and normal quality or high-quality printing, and on the basis of theamounts of colorant printed, the amounts of colorant guaranteed forprinting, and the information on necessary amounts stored in the storagemodule, in the course of determining, for each of the multiple types ofprint media, the number of sheets remaining, the control module maydetermine the number of sheets remaining in respect of each of themultiple types of print media. In this way, as the number of sheetsremaining that meet the printing conditions for each of the multipletypes of print media can be notified, a user can obtain more detailedinformation on the number of sheets remaining.

In the second printing device of the invention, when the number ofsheets remaining thus determined is less than one sheet, the controlmodule may determine that the amount of colorant printed has reached theamount of colorant guaranteed for printing and may thus prevent theprinting module from printing with the cartridge. In this manner,printing in excess of the amounts of colorant guaranteed for printingcan be avoided.

In the second printing device of the invention, the notification modulemay be a display module that is capable of displaying images, and thecontrol module may enable the display module to display the number ofsheets remaining thus determined. In this way, a user can recognize thenumber of sheets remaining visually by means of images.

In the second printing device of the invention, the printing module mayprint images of photographs onto the print media by use of a cartridgethat contains ink as the colorant. In this way, clear printing can beperformed by using ink as a colorant when a photograph is printed.

A third printing device of the present invention is a device forprinting on a print medium, including: a printing module that printsonto a print medium by causing ink contained in a cartridge to beejected from nozzles of a print head; a printing control module thatcontrols the printing module in such a way that, when a number of sheetsprinted has not reached the number of sheets guaranteed for printing,printing onto the print medium is performed on the basis of print dataand, when the number of sheets printed has reached the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing, printing with the cartridge is shut off; acleaning module that cleans the nozzles by sucking in from the nozzlesink contained in the cartridge; an amount of cleaning ink setting modulethat, in response to a request for cleaning, sets an amount of cleaningink to be used in an instance of the requested cleaning, the amount ofcleaning ink being less than an amount of residual ink that is predictedto remain in the cartridge after the number of sheets that have beenprinted has reached the number of sheets guaranteed for printing; and acleaning control module that controls the cleaning module to performcleaning with the amount of cleaning ink set by the amount of cleaningink setting module.

When the number of sheets printed has not reached the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing, the third printing device controls the printingmodule in such a way that printing is performed onto a print medium onthe basis of print data, and the printing device shuts off printing witha cartridge when and after the number of sheets printed reaches thenumber of sheets guaranteed for printing (shut-off control). When arequest has been made for the cleaning of nozzles, sets an amount ofcleaning ink to be used in an instance of the requested cleaning, theamount of cleaning ink being less than an amount of residual ink that ispredicted to remain in the cartridge after the number of sheets thathave been printed has reached the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting, and controls the cleaning module to perform cleaning with theamount of cleaning ink set by the amount of cleaning ink setting module.Thus, as the amount of cleaning ink set is less than the predictedamount of residual ink at the time that the number of sheets printedreaches the number of sheets guaranteed for printing, running out of inkhardly occurs before the number of sheets printed reaches the number ofsheets guaranteed for printing, and effective shut-off control isthereby achieved. As the amount of cleaning ink is set within a range ofthe predicted amount of residual ink, whenever a request is made for thecleaning of nozzles, the cleaning of nozzles can be performed reliably.The printing control module and the cleaning control module may beconfigured as either a single control unit, or as separate controlunits.

In the third printing device of the invention, the amount of cleaningink setting module, in response to a request for cleaning, may set avalue obtained by dividing the amount of residual ink predicted by apre-fixed value (>1) as the amount of cleaning ink to be used in aninstance of the requested cleaning. In this manner, the amount ofcleaning ink can be set easily. The fixed value need not in particularbe limited as long as it is a value that is greater than 1, but ispreferably set to 2.

The third printing device of the invention may further include: a totalamount of printed ink derivation module that derives the total amount ofprinted ink used in printing onto the print medium; and a total amountof cleaning ink derivation module that derives the total amount ofcleaning ink used in cleaning of the nozzles. In this third printingdevice, the amount of cleaning ink setting module, in response to arequest for cleaning, may determine, on the basis of the total amount ofprinted ink printed by that time, a predicted value of the total amountof ink that will have been printed by the time that the number of sheetsprinted reaches the number of sheets guaranteed for printing, and mayset, as the amount of residual ink predicted, a value obtained bysubtracting a total ink consumption amount which includes the predictedvalue of the total amount of printed ink and the total amount ofcleaning ink used by that time from an initial amount of ink initiallyfilled in the cartridge. In this way, the predicted amount of residualink can be determined more accurately. The total amount of ink consumedpreferably includes an amount consumed in any task other than printingor cleaning (e.g., in flushing). The amount of cleaning ink settingmodule may set, as the predicted total amount of printing ink, a valueobtained by multiplying by the number of sheets guaranteed for printinga value obtained by dividing the total amount of printing ink by thetotal number of sheets printed by that time. In this way the predictedtotal amount of printing ink can be determined more accurately.

A fourth printing device of the present invention is a device forprinting onto a print medium, including: a printing module that printsonto a print medium by causing ink contained in a cartridge to beejected from nozzles of a print head; a printing control module thatcontrols the printing module in such a way that, when a number of sheetsprinted has not reached the number of sheets guaranteed for printing,printing onto the print medium is performed on the basis of print dataand, when the number of sheets printed has reached the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing, printing with the cartridge is shut off; acleaning module that cleans the nozzles by sucking in from the nozzlesthe ink contained in the cartridge; a cleaning number storage modulethat stores a number of instances of cleaning performed during one ormore cartridges used before a new cartridge were attached; ananticipated cleaning number setting module that sets, on the basis ofthe number of instances of cleaning stored in the cleaning numberstorage module, an anticipated number of instances of cleaning that areconsidered likely to be performed during the new cartridge is attached;an amount of cleaning ink setting module that, in response to a firstrequest for cleaning after conversion to the new cartridge, sets anamount of cleaning ink to be used for each instance of cleaningperformed before the number of request for cleaning reaches theanticipated number of instances of cleaning, on the basis of the amountof residual ink predicted and the anticipated number of instances ofcleaning, while the amount of cleaning ink setting module sets, inresponse to a request for cleaning, whose number is equal or greaterthan the anticipated number of instances of cleaning after conversion tothe new cartridge, an amount less than the residual ink predicted as anamount of cleaning ink to be used for each instance of cleaningperformed when and after the number of request for cleaning reaches theanticipated number of instances of cleaning; and a cleaning controlmodule that controls the cleaning module to perform cleaning of thenozzles with the amount of cleaning ink set by the amount of cleaningink setting module.

When the number of sheets printed does not reach the predefined numberof sheets guaranteed for printing, the fourth printing device controlsthe control module in such a way that printing onto a print medium isperformed on the basis of print data, and printing with the cartridge isshut off when the number of sheets printed reaches the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing (shut-off control). In response to a firstrequest for cleaning after conversion to the new cartridge, the fourthprinting device sets an amount of cleaning ink to be used for eachinstance of cleaning performed before the number of request for cleaningreaches the anticipated number of instances of cleaning, on the basis ofthe amount of residual ink predicted and the anticipated number ofinstances of cleaning. On the other hand, in response to a request forcleaning, whose number is equal or greater than the anticipated numberof instances of cleaning after conversion to the new cartridge, thefourth printing device sets an amount less than the residual inkpredicted as an amount of cleaning ink to be used for each instance ofcleaning performed when and after the number of request for cleaningreaches the anticipated number of instances of cleaning. And the fourthprinting device further controls the cleaning module to perform cleaningof the nozzles with the amount of cleaning ink set by the amount ofcleaning ink setting module. In this printing device, when a cartridgeis replaced by a new one, the amount of cleaning ink is set in the lightof the number of instances of cleaning that have been performed whileone or more cartridges that had been used before the new cartridge wereattached. Thus, the amount of cleaning ink for one instance of cleaningwill be appropriate amount. In addition, after the number of instancesof cleaning following the replacement of a new cartridge reaches thepredicted number of instances of cleaning, cleaning is done with anamount of cleaning ink that is less than the predicted amount ofresidual ink predicted at that time. Thus, cleaning can be performedreliably, and running out of ink hardly occurs before the number ofsheets printed reaches the number of sheets guaranteed for printing, andeffective shut-off control is thereby achieved. The printing controlmodule and the cleaning control module may be configured as either asingle control unit, or as separate control units.

In the fourth printing device of the invention, the amount of cleaningink setting module may set, in response to a request for cleaning, whosenumber is equal or greater than the anticipated number of instances ofcleaning after conversion to the new cartridge, a value obtained bydividing the amount of residual ink predicted by a pre-fixed value (>1)as the amount of cleaning ink to be used for each instance of cleaningperformed when and after the number of request for cleaning reaches theanticipated number of instances of cleaning. In this way, the amount ofcleaning ink can be set easily. The fixed value need not in particularbe limited as long as it is a value greater than 1, but preferably isset to 2.

In the fourth printing device of the invention, the cleaning numberstorage module may stores the number of instances of cleaning performedduring a cartridge used immediately before the new cartridge isattached, and the anticipated cleaning number setting module may set,when the cartridge is replaced with the new cartridge, the number ofinstances of cleaning stored in the cleaning number storage module tothe anticipated number of instances of cleaning which is considered tobe performed during the new cartridge is attached. In this way, theamount of cleaning ink for one instance of cleaning tend to beappropriate amount. The predicted number of instances of cleaning may bean average value of all cartridges used before replacement in respect ofinstances of cleaning that were performed while individual cartridgeswere mounted or an average value of instances of cleaning performedwhile only some of all the cartridges used before replacement weremounted.

The fourth printing device of the present invention may further includea total amount of printed ink derivation module that derives the totalamount of printed ink used in printing onto the print medium; and atotal amount of cleaning ink derivation module that derives the totalamount of cleaning ink used in cleaning of the nozzles. In this fourthprinting device, the amount of cleaning ink setting module, in responseto a first request for cleaning after conversion to the new cartridge,or in response to a request for cleaning, whose number is equal orgreater than the anticipated number of instances of cleaning afterconversion to the new cartridge, may determines on the basis of thetotal amount of printed ink printed by that time, a predicted value ofthe total amount of ink that will have been printed by the time that thenumber of sheets printed reaches the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting, and may set, as the amount of residual ink predicted, a valueobtained by subtracting a total ink consumption amount which includesthe predicted value of the total amount of printed ink and the totalamount of cleaning ink used by that time from an initial amount of inkinitially filled in the cartridge. In this way, the predicted amount ofresidual ink can be determined more accurately. The total amount of inkconsumed preferably includes an amount consumed in any task other thanprinting or cleaning (e.g., in flushing). The amount of cleaning inksetting module may set, as the predicted total amount of printing ink, avalue obtained by multiplying by the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting a value obtained by dividing the total amount of printing inkby the total number of sheets printed by that time. In this way thepredicted total amount of printing ink can be determined moreaccurately.

The third and fourth printing devices of the invention are preferably aprinter used exclusively for printing photographs. For instance, if theyprint character strings, they may print character strings on only oneline of one sheet, or on several tens of lines on one sheet. Thus,although the amount of printing ink used per page tends to vary widely,the degree of precision of the predicted amounts of residual ink willimprove because, if only photographs are printed, variations in theamount of printing ink used per page can be restricted. It is alsopreferable that the size of a print medium be a predetermined one. Forinstance, the amount of printing ink tends to vary widely if printingdevices print photographs on both an L-sized sheet and an A-4 sizesheet. However, if printing is confined to L-size sheets, precision inthe predicted amount of residual ink will improve because variations inthe amount of printing ink can be confined to a low level.

A fifth printing device of the present invention is a device forprinting on a print medium, including: a print head in which are formeda plurality of nozzles that are capable of ejecting ink contained in acartridge; a printing control module that controls the print head insuch a way that, when a number of sheets printed has not reached anumber of sheets guaranteed for printing, a printing operation ofejecting ink onto a print medium from the nozzles is performed on thebasis of print data, and when the number of sheets printed has reachedthe number of sheets guaranteed for printing, the printing operation isshut off; a flushing request module that requests performance offlushing that ejects ink from the nozzles onto an area where printingdoes not take place: and a flushing control module that, in response ofa request for flushing by the flushing request module while a printingoperation onto a sheet of print medium is being performed, controls theprint head in such a way that the requested flushing is performed to anextent that an ink amount actually used for flushing per sheet does notexceed an allowable ink amount for flushing that is derived on the basisof the amount of residual ink predicted and the number of sheetsremaining for printing and can be used for flushing per sheet of printmedium, where the amount of residual ink predicted being an amount whichis predicted to remain superfluous in the cartridge on the assumptionthat only printing is performed from a time immediately prior to thecommencement of the printing operation and the number of sheets printedhas reached the number of sheets guaranteed for printing, and the numberof sheets remaining for printing being obtained by subtracting thenumber of sheets printed from the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting.

This fifth printing device controls the print head in such a way that,when the number of sheets printed does not reach the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing, a printing operation is performed in which inkis ejected on to a print medium from the nozzles on the basis of printdata, and when the number of sheets printed reaches the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing, the printing operation is shut off (shut-offcontrol). In response of a request for flushing while a printingoperation onto a sheet of print medium is being performed, the fifthprinting device controls the print head in such a way that the requestedflushing is performed to an extent that an ink amount actually used forflushing per sheet does not exceed an allowable ink amount for flushingthat is derived on the basis of the amount of residual ink predicted andthe number of sheets remaining for printing and can be used for flushingper sheet of print medium, where the amount of residual ink predictedbeing an amount which is predicted to remain superfluous in thecartridge on the assumption that only printing is performed from a timeimmediately prior to the commencement of the printing operation and thenumber of sheets printed has reached the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting, and the number of sheets remaining for printing being obtainedby subtracting the number of sheets printed from the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing. In this way, even if flushing is performedmultiple times, actual usage on flushing in respect of one sheet ofprint medium will very rarely exceed the amount of ink available forflushing in respect of one sheet of the print medium, an amount that isderived on the basis of the predicted amount of residual ink for onesheet of the print medium. Thus, running out of ink hardly occurs beforethe number of sheets printed reaches the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting, and effective shut-off control is thereby achieved. Further,even if more than one instance of flushing is requested in respect ofone sheet of print medium, each instance of flushing can be carried outwith a degree of certainty. The printing control module and the flushingmodule may be configured as a single control unit, or as separatecontrol units.

In the fifth printing device of the invention, the flushing controlmodule may determine an amount of ink per flushing on the basis of theallowable ink amount for flushing and a preset number of flushingsanticipated per sheet of print medium, and control the print head insuch a way that the requested flushing is performed with the determinedamount of ink. In this manner, the effects of the present invention canbe obtained with a relatively simple structure.

In the fifth printing device of the invention, after the number ofinstances of flushing, for which requests have been made by the flushingrequest module while a printing operation was being performed on onesheet of the print medium, has reached the anticipated number, as theamount of ink to be used in the course of this flushing, an amount ofink may be set that is obtained by dividing the amount of ink used inthe previous flushing by a numeric value greater than 1. In such a way,even when the number of instances of flushing in respect of one sheet ofthe print medium exceeds the number of instances of flushinganticipated, actual usage on flushing will not exceed the amount of inkavailable for usage as flushing in respect of one sheet of the printmedium. Here, “a numeric value greater than 1” may be either a fixedvalue or a fluctuating value, and preferably is a fixed value of “2”.

In the fifth printing device of the invention, the flushing requestmodule may request that flushing be performed every time that apredetermined time elapses while a printing operation is being performedon one piece of the print medium. In this manner, flushing can reliablyeliminate any thickening of ink in the nozzles. In other words, evenwhen a printing operation has been performed, ink contained in nozzlesfrom which ink has not been ejected thickens. Moreover, the longer thenozzles are left, the more noticeable becomes the degree of thethickening. Thus, it is preferable that flushing be performed every timethat a predetermined time elapses. In this context, a relationshipbetween nozzle thickening and the lapse of time can be determined inadvance through experimentation, and, on the basis of this relationship,a “predetermined time” can accordingly be set, in other words, a periodof time during which a value of viscosity will not prevent ejection ofink from the nozzles. In addition, as the degree of thickening withinnozzles may vary depending on the surrounding environment (factors suchas temperature and humidity), the predetermined time may also be variedso as to conform with the surrounding environment.

The fifth printing device of the invention is preferably a printer usedexclusively for printing photographs. For instance, if character stringsare printed, character strings may be printed on only one line of onesheet, or on several tens of lines of one sheet. Thus, although theamount of printing ink per page tends to vary widely, precision in thepredicted amount of residual ink will improve because, if onlyphotographs are printed, variations in the amount of printing ink perpage can be confined to a low level. It is also preferable that the sizeof a print medium be a predetermined one. For instance, the amount ofink printed tends to vary widely if printing devices print photographson both an L-sized sheet and an A-4 size sheet. However, if printing isconfined to only L-size sheets, the level of precision in the predictedamount of residual ink will improve because variations in the amount ofprinting ink can be restricted to low levels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of the configurationof an ink jet printer 20 of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an outline of the configuration of an inkcartridge 50 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of information 54 a stored in a memory element54 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an operation panel 60 of the firstembodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating one example of a printing anddisplay control routine of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a display screen 80 of the first embodimenton which information about the number of sheets remaining is displayed.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of a display screen 80 of the first embodimenton which information about the number of sheets remaining is displayed.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of a display screen 81 of the first embodimenton which information about the number of sheets remaining is displayed.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of a display screen 82 of the first embodimenton which information about the number of sheets remaining is displayed.

FIG. 10 is an illustration of a display screen 83 of the firstembodiment on which information about the number of sheets remaining isdisplayed.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of information 254 a stored in a memoryelement 54 of a second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of the information stored in a flash memory75 of the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating one example of a printing anddisplay control routine of the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an illustration of a display screen 280 of the secondembodiment on which the number of sheets remaining for printing isshown.

FIG. 15 is an illustration of a display screen 280 of the secondembodiment on which the number of sheets remaining for printing isshown.

FIG. 16 is an illustration of a display screen 280 of the secondembodiment on which the number of sheets remaining for printing isshown.

FIG. 17 is an illustration of other information stored in the flashmemory 75 of the second embodiment.

FIG. 18 is an illustration of information 354 a stored in the memoryelement 54 of the third embodiment.

FIG. 19 is an illustration of information display screen 380 of thethird embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating one example of a main controlroutine of the third embodiment.

FIG. 21 is an illustration of variations in the number of sheets printedand in the total consumption of ink in the third embodiment.

FIG. 22 is an illustration of variations in the number of sheets printedand in the total consumption of ink in the third embodiment.

FIG. 23 is an illustration of variations in the number of sheets printedand in the total consumption of the ink in the third embodiment.

FIG. 24 is an illustration of variations in the number of sheets printedand in the total consumption of ink in the third embodiment.

FIG. 25 is an illustration of variations in the number of sheets printedand in the total consumption of the ink in the third embodiment.

FIG. 26 is an illustration of variations in the number of sheets printedand in the total consumption of the ink in the third embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a flow chart of a main control routine of another example ofthe third embodiment.

FIG. 28 is an illustration of information 454 a stored in the memoryelement 54 of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a flow chart illustrating one example of the main controlroutine of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 30 is an illustration of the amount available for flushing inrespect of one sheet for printing in the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 31 is an illustration of variations in the amount of ink forflushing Ifla in the fourth embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment

Next, one embodiment of this invention will be described. FIG. 1 is ablock diagram illustrating an outline of the configuration of an ink jetprinter 20. FIG. 2 is an illustration of an outline of the configurationof an ink cartridge 50. FIG. 3 is an illustration of the cartridgeinformation 54 a stored in a memory element 54. FIG. 4 is anillustration of an operation panel 60.

The ink jet printer 20 of this embodiment is configured as a so-calledprinter used exclusively for printing photographs, a printer that usesas images for printing photographs, photographic images taken with anitem of equipment such as a digital camera, and that usesphotograph-size paper as a recording sheet S. In addition, in thisembodiment, an ink cartridge 50, in which the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing has been set as an upper limit of apredetermined number of sheets available for printing, and recordingsheets S for this number of sheets guaranteed for printing, are sold asa set, and the ink jet printer 20 is configured so as to be capable ofusing the ink cartridge 50 and the recording sheets S that are on saleas a set. This ink jet printer 20 is set in such a way that, even if inkis remaining after printing has been completed of the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing with the ink cartridge 50, a number in respectof which the number of sheets guaranteed for printing has been set,printing with the ink cartridge 50 will be disabled. A user purchasesthe set for which printing of a predetermined number of sheets has beenguaranteed, and performs printing by setting the ink cartridge 50 andthe recording sheets S in the ink jet printer 20. In this embodiment,the function of disabling printing with that cartridge after printing ofthe number of sheets guaranteed for printing has been completed isreferred to as a “shut-off function”, and the act of disabling printingwith that cartridge is referred to as “shutting off”.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet printer 20 of this embodiment comprisesa printer mechanism 21 that performs printing by ejecting ink dropletsonto a recording sheet S, ink droplets transported above the platen 40from the back to the front in the Figure; a paper handling mechanism 31that includes a paper feed roller 35 driven by a drive motor 33; acapping unit 41 formed at one end of the platen 40; an operation panel60 on which a user enters various instructions; and a controller 70 thatcontrols the entire ink jet printer 20.

The printer mechanism 21 comprises a carriage 22 that reciprocates alonga guide 28 by means of a carriage belt 32; an ink cartridge 50 thatcontains separately inks of colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y),red (R), blue (B) and black (K) and that can supply the inks to thecarriage 22; and a print head 24 that applies pressure to each inksupplied from the ink cartridge 50. The carriage 22 moves as thecarriage belt 32, installed between a carriage motor 34 a mounted to theright of the mecha frame 48 and the driven roller 34 b mounted to theleft of the mecha frame 48, and is driven by the carriage motor 34 a. Inthis context, a so-called off-carriage type in which the ink cartridge50 is not mounted on the carriage 22 has been adopted. The print head 24is provided at the lower part of the carriage 22, at the lower part ofthe carriage 22, and a piezoelectric element deformed by applyingvoltage pressurized inks of various colors, thereby ejecting inks fromnozzles 23 provided on the underside of the print head 24.Alternatively, the print head 24 may adopt a method whereby ink ispressurized by air bubbles generated when the ink is heated by means ofapplying voltage to a heat element (for instance, a heater). On the backface of the carriage 22 is arranged a linear type encoder 25 fordetecting a position of the carriage 22, and management of the positionof the carriage 22 is thereby made possible.

The ink cartridge 50 is detachably mounted on to the mecha frame 48, andas shown in FIG. 2, comprises ink containers 52 a to 52 f, respectivelycontaining ink that contains dyestuffs or pigments as a colorant inwater as a solvent, and that is used for printing of inks of cyan (C),magenta (M), yellow (Y), red (R), blue (B) and black (K); an effluentpad 53 that absorbs and preserves waste ink discharged during processessuch as cleaning; and a memory element 54 that stores informationrelating to the ink cartridge 50. In the ink cartridge 50, by means ofdriving the supply pump (not illustrated), ink can be supplied to thecarriage 22 by way of a supply tube 29 connected between ink supplyports 51 a to 51 f and the carriage 22, (see FIG. 1). The memory element54 is a non-volatile IC memory to and from which writing and reading ispossible, and when the ink cartridge 50 is mounted on to the main body,an output terminal 55 provided on a surface thereof and a connectionterminal 47 provided in the main body are connected, thus facilitatingreading of information from the memory element 54 and writing ofinformation to the memory element 54. In the memory element 54 is storedcartridge information 54 a that is information relating to the inkcartridge 50. As shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge information 54 acontains information such as a number of sheets guaranteed for printing,in other words the largest number of sheets guaranteed for printing thatcan be guaranteed with that cartridge; a number of sheets printed, inother words, the number of sheets that have been printed with thatcartridge up to that time; a number of sheets remaining that is adifference value between the number of sheets guaranteed for printingand the number of sheets remaining that can be printed; the maximum inkamounts (L1max to L6max) corresponding respectively to ink containers 52a to 52 f (C, M, Y, R, B, K); the amounts of ink that have so far beenconsumed in the course of printing; an amount of ink remaining, anamount of ink remaining at that time which is a difference value betweenthe maximum amount of ink and the amount of ink consumed; the maximumamount of effluent (Wmax) that can be absorbed by the effluent pad 53;an amount of effluent that has so far been absorbed by the effluent pad53, a permissible amount of effluent, which is a difference valuebetween the maximum amount of effluent and the amount of effluent andthe represents how much effluent can still be absorbed. In this context,as amounts of ink deemed necessary for purposes of maintenance, such asprinting and cleaning of the number of sheets guaranteed for printing,the number of sheets guaranteed for printing is set to 100 sheets, andthe ink containers 52 a to 52 f are filled with inks of the maximumamounts of ink mentioned above. The amounts of ink deemed necessary forprinting of the number of sheets guaranteed for printing is defined asthe amount of ink necessary for a standard photograph image plus apredetermined amount of ink as a margin.

A flushing area 38 is provided off to the left of the printable area ofplaten 40 in the FIG. 1, and is used when a so-called flushing operationis performed in which ink droplets are ejected regularly, or atpredetermined timings, independently of print data, in order to preventink from drying, or from becoming solidified at the tip of a nozzle 23.The flushing area 38 is provided so as to face the nozzle 23 of theprint head 24 when the print head moves, together with the carriage 22,to the left end. Thus, a flushing operation should take place after theprint head 24 has moved to the left end, together with the carriage 22.

The capping device 41 is provided off to the right of the printable areaof the platen 40 and comprises an almost rectangular-shaped housing withthe top opened. The capping device 41 is also used to seal the printhead 24 so as to prevent the print head 24 from drying when printing hasbeen halted, etc. Moreover, to the capping device 41 is connected asuction pump 42, and, when the suction pump 42 is actuated, negativepressure is generated in an internal space of the capping device 41.Generation of negative pressure while the capping device 41 forciblyseals nozzles 23 results in ink being pumped out of the print head 24.The ink pumped out by the suction pump 42 is absorbed, as waste ink, byan effluent pad 53 of the ink cartridge 50 by way of the effluent tube43 and the effluent port 53 a.

An operation panel 60 is a device for a user to enter variousinstructions directed to the ink jet printer 20, and, as shown in FIG.4, is provided with a display unit 62 whereby, on the basis of variousinstructions, characters, graphics or symbols are displayed, and with anoperating unit 64 for performing various operations. The display unit 62comprises, for instance, a liquid crystal display panel that displayscolor images. On the operating unit 64 are arranged a cursor key 64 athat is pressed when a user moves an item of equipment such as a cursorfor selecting an item such as a process or characters, a decision key 64b that is pressed when a user decides on the selection of an item suchas a process, a setting key 64 c that is pressed when various settingsare made, a return key 64 d that is pressed at times such ascancellation, and a print execution key 64 e that is pressed whenprinting is executed of an image that has been selected. Details of thenumber of sheets remaining information display screen 80 are describedbelow.

As shown in FIG. 1, a controller 70 is provided on a main board 49mounted on the back face of the mecha frame 48, composed as amicroprocessor that centers on a CPU 72, and comprises a ROM 73 thatstores various processing programs, a RAM 74 that temporarily stores orsaves data, a flash memory 75 that can write and erase data, aninterface (I/F) 79 for exchanging information with external devices, andan input/output port (not shown). In the ROM 73 are stored printing anddisplay control routines that will be described below. In the RAM 74, aprint buffer area is provided, and print data sent from a user PC 90 istemporarily stored in the print buffer area. In preparation for removalor re-mounting of the ink cartridge 50, the flash memory 75 storescartridge information that is similar to the cartridge information 54 aof the ink cartridge mounted at the time, as mentioned above. Not onlyare signals from the memory element 54 and signals from the operationpanel 60 entered into the controller 70, through an input port (notshown), but also a print job outputted from the user PC90 can be enteredthrough I/F 79. In addition, the controller 70 not only outputs throughan output port (not shown) signals such as a control signal to the printhead 24 or a control signal to the drive motor 33, a drive signal to thecarriage motor 34 a, an operation control signal to the suction pump 42,or a control signal to the operation panel 60, but also outputs printstatus information to the user PC 90 through I/F 79.

Next, an operation will be described of the ink jet printer 20 of thisembodiment that has been thus configured. FIG. 5 is a flow chartillustrating one example of a printing and displaying control routineexecuted by the CPU 72 of the controller 70. The routine is stored inthe ROM 73 and executed by the CPU 72 after the power of the ink jetprinter 20 has been turned ON. First, when this routine is started, theCPU 72 judges whether or not the routine was started immediately afterthe power of the ink jet printer 20 had been turned ON, or whether ornot the opened cartridge cover (not shown) has been closed (step S100).The judgment is made to assess whether or not the ink cartridge 50 couldpossibly have been replaced. The judgment as to whether or not thecartridge cover has been closed is made on the basis of a signal from acontact type sensor (not shown). When at least one of the conditions hasbeen met, namely, that the routine was started immediately after thepower of the ink jet printer 20 had been turned ON, or that thecartridge cover has been closed, the CPU 72 deems that the ink cartridge50 could possibly have been replaced, reads from the cartridgeinformation 54 a stored in the memory element 54 of the ink cartridge 50the number of sheets remaining N, the amount of ink remaining L, and thepermissible amount of effluent W (step 5110), and judges whether or notthe ink cartridge 50 has been replaced (step S120). This judgment as towhether or not the ink cartridge 50 has been replaced is made by readingthe cartridge information stored in the flash memory 75, and on thebasis of whether or not each numeric value contained in the memoryelement 54 matches one stored in the flash memory 75. If it is judgedthat the ink cartridge 50 has been replaced, the CPU 72 writes into theflash memory 75 the content read at step S110 (step S130). Thus, incircumstances where the ink cartridge 50 has been replaced, thecartridge information stored in the memory element 54 should beidentical to the cartridge information stored in the flash memory 75.

If it is judged after step S130, or at step S100, that the routine didnot start immediately after the power of the ink jet printer 20 had beenturned ON, and that the open cartridge cover has not been closed, or ifit is judged at step S120 that the ink cartridge 50 has not beenreplaced, the CPU 72 judges whether or not the ink cartridge 50 is in astate in which printing can take place (step S140). The judgment as towhether or not the ink cartridge 50 is in a state that enables printingto take place is made on the basis of the cartridge information storedin the flash memory 75, factors such as whether or not the number ofsheets remaining N for the ink cartridge is 0, whether or not any amountof ink L is remaining, and whether the permissible amount of effluent Wis not value zero. If it is judged that the ink cartridge 50 is not in astate in which printing can take place, as shown in FIG. 7, a warningmessage to the effect that printing is not possible with this inkcartridge 50 appears on the display unit 62 (Step S240).

If, on the one hand, it is judged at step S140 that the ink cartridge 50is in a state in which printing can take place, a judgment is made aswhether or not any printing instruction exists (step S150). The judgmentas to whether any printing instruction has been issued is made on thebasis of whether or not print data was received from the user PC 90, orwhether or not the print execution key 64 e has been pressed. If it isjudged that no printing instruction exists, the CPU 72 executes theprocesses of steps S100 to 5140. If it is judged that a printinginstruction does exist, in order to notify a user of the condition foruse of the current ink cartridge 50, the number of sheets remaining forprinting N, out of the number of sheets guaranteed for printing, isdisplayed on the display unit 62 in such a manner that the relationshipbetween the number of sheets guaranteed for printing and the number ofsheets remaining is visible (step 160). Here, as shown FIG. 4, thenumber of sheets remaining information display screen 80, which isdetermined based on cartridge information stored in flash memory 75, isread, is displayed on the display unit 62. On the number of sheetsremaining information display screen 80 are provided a title displayunit 80 a, on which a title of the screen is displayed, or a number ofsheets remaining display unit 80 b, on which a relationship between thenumber of sheets guaranteed for printing and the number of sheetsremaining is displayed visibly, and an item such as a message displayunit 80 c that notifies a user of the latest situation by means ofcharacters. The number of sheets remaining display unit 80 b isconfigured in such away that rectangular blocks corresponding to apredetermined percentage (10 percent in this case) are verticallyarranged, blocks corresponding to the number of sheets remaining arecolored, and blocks corresponding to the number of sheets printed aredisplayed in white above the blocks corresponding to the number ofsheets remaining. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, if the numberof sheets remaining N is between 11 and 20, the number of sheetsremaining display unit 80 b is displayed with the blocks in the twolower columns colored. In addition, in the number of sheets remainingdisplay unit 80 b, the display is such that when the number of sheetsprinted increases, out of the blocks showing the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing, the number of blocks corresponding to thenumber of sheets remaining N decreases in terms of area. Thus, itbecomes easier for a user to understand how the number of sheetsremaining N decreases with the use of the ink cartridge 50. Thus, as thenumber of sheets remaining in relation to the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing is displayed in terms of areas in the shape of agauge, a user can quickly check visually usage conditions in a roughmanner.

After the number of sheets remaining information display screen 80 hasbeen displayed on the display unit 62 at step S160, the CPU 72 judgeswhether or not the number of sheets remaining N is below a thresholdNend, whether or not the amount of ink remaining L is below a thresholdLend, and whether or not the permissible amount of effluent W is below athreshold Wend (Step S170). These thresholds Nend, Lend, and Wend arethresholds that have been established in order to notify a user thatprinting is not possible with the ink cartridge 50. The threshold Nendis defined as a value of the number of sheets remaining N when all ofsheets guaranteed for printing Nmax have been printed, i.e., a value of0. The threshold Lend is defined as a value of all the maximum amount ofink Lmax being ejected, plus a predetermined margin. The threshold Wendis defined as a value of the permissible amount of effluent W when inkof the entire maximum amounts of effluent Wmax has been absorbed, i.e.,a value of 0. Further, the judgment as to whether or not the amount ofink remaining L is below the threshold Lend needs to be made on thebasis of amounts of inks of various colors remaining L, by usingthresholds L1end to L6end provided for every color. If a judgment ismade to the effect that at least one of the conditions is below thethreshold, Nend relating to the number of sheets remaining N, Lendrelating to the amount of ink remaining L or Wend relating to thepermissible amount of effluent W, the CPU 72 deems that printing is nolonger possible with the ink cartridge 50 that has been mounted, and, asshown in FIG. 7, displays a warning message to this effect on themessage display unit 80 c of the number of sheets remaining informationdisplay screen 80 (Step S240).

If, on the one hand, a judgment is made at step S170 to the effect thatnone of the above conditions is below the appropriate threshold Nendrelating to the number of sheets remaining, Lend relating to the amountof ink remaining L or Wend relating to the permissible amount ofeffluent W, the CPU 72 then judges whether or not the number of sheetsremaining N is lower than a threshold Nlow, whether or not the amount ofink remaining is less than a threshold Llow, and whether or not thepermissible amount of effluent is less than a threshold Wlow (stepS180). These thresholds Nlow, Llow and Wlow are thresholds that areestablished in order to notify a user that the number of sheets that canbe printed with the ink cartridge 50 is decreasing, and the thresholdsmay be defined as arbitrary values. In this context, the threshold Nlowis defined as a value of 20% of the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting Nmax. The threshold Llow is defined as a value of 20% of themaximum amount of ink Lmax. The threshold Wlow is defined as a value of20% of the maximum amount of effluent. Further, the judgment as towhether or not the amount of ink remaining is lower than Llow should bemade for the amounts of ink remaining L in respect of each kind of ink,by using thresholds L1low to L6low provided for each color. If ajudgment is made that at least one of the conditions is lower than theappropriate threshold, Nlow relating to the number of sheets remainingN, Llow relating to the amount of ink remaining L, and Wlow relating tothe permissible amount of effluent W, the CPU 72, as shown in FIG. 6,displays a cautionary message on the message display unit 80 of thenumber of sheets remaining information display screen 80 (step S190) tothe effect that the number of sheets that can be printed with the inkcartridge 50 has decreased.

After a judgment has been made at step S180 to the effect that any ofthe conditions is lower than the threshold, Nlow relating to the numberof sheets remaining N, Llow relating to the amount of ink remaining L,and Wlow relating to the permissible amount of effluent W, or after awarning message has been displayed on the message display unit 80 c atstep S190, the CPU 72 executes the process of printing print data forwhich printing instructions have been given (step S200). Morespecifically, the CPU 72 takes action such as driving the driving motor33 and rotating the paper feed roller 35, and transports a recordingsheet S to the area on the platen 40 where printing is possible. Then,the CPU 72 develops into a bitmap image the print data within the printbuffer, and controls voltage to the print head 24 so that the data thathas been developed is printed on a recording sheet S. Then, the CPU 72drives the carriage motor 34 a, moves the carriage 22 in the carriagemovement direction, and by means of for instance moving the carriage 22to the capping device 41 in stages, performs a flushing or cleaningprocess.

Thus, when the process of printing one page is completed, the CPU 72calculates the amount of ink of each color that has been used in thecourse of printing on this occasion, and updates carriage informationsuch as the number of sheets remaining N, the amount of ink remaining L,and the permissible amount of effluent W (Step S210). In the course ofthis process, the CPU 72 updates the cartridge information 54 a storedin the memory element 54 and the cartridge information stored in theflash memory 75. The CPU 72 updates the number of sheets remaining N bysubtracting a value of 1 from the previous number of sheets remaining.In addition, the CPU 72 updates the amount of ink remaining L bysubtracting from the previous amount of ink remaining the amounts of inkrequired and consumed during the printing and flushing processes,amounts calculated by multiplying the number of dots in the ink ejectedonto the recording sheet S in the course of the printing or flushingprocess by the amount of ink that corresponds to that number of dots,and the amount of ink required and consumed during the instances ofcleaning, an amount calculated by multiplying the number of steps forwhich the suction pump 42 was driven by the amount of ink correspondingto that number of steps. Further, the CPU 72 updates the permissibleamount of effluent W by calculating the amount of effluent absorbed intothe effluent pad 53 on this occasion in the course of the instance offlushing or instance of cleaning, an amount calculated in a similarfashion to the manner described above, and according to which the amountof effluent on this occasion is subtracted from the permissible amountof effluent W.

Next, the CPU 72 judges whether or not all of the processes of printingprint data have been completed (step S220). If it is judged that theprinting processes have not yet been terminated, the CPU 72 executes theprocesses of steps S160 to S220. If, on the one hand, it is judged atstep S220 that the printing processes have been completed, or after awarning message has been displayed on the message display unit 80 c atstep S240, the CPU 72 judges whether or not the power has been turnedOFF (step S230). If the power has not been turned OFF, the CPU 72executes the process of steps S100 to S231, and if the power has beenturned OFF, the CPU 72 terminates this routine. In this manner, if ajudgment is made at step S140 to the effect that a state does not existin which printing is possible, or if the number of sheets remaining Nhas fallen below the threshold Nend at step S170, the CPU 72 avoidsperforming the printing operation with the ink cartridge 50.

Although the number of sheets guaranteed for printing should beguaranteed by containing in an ink cartridge 50 an amount of ink thatincludes amounts to be consumed during the course of the printing,cleaning and flushing processes of the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting, if for any reason the amount of ink remaining is lower thanthe threshold Lend or the effluent pad 53 becomes full, and inconsequence printing of the number of sheets guaranteed for printingbecomes impossible and the ink cartridge 50 can no longer be used, auser may mail, or take the ink cartridge 50 into a service center.There, at the service center, the cartridge information 54 a stored inthe memory element 54 can be read out, and a fee corresponding to thenumber of sheets that were not able to be printed will be refunded tothe user. In this way, a guarantee of the number of sheets that can beprinted can be secured.

In this context, a clarification will be made of the relationshipbetween components of this embodiment and those of the presentinvention. The display unit 62 of this embodiment corresponds to adisplay module of the present invention, the printer mechanism 21corresponds to the printing module, the controller 70 corresponds to thecontrol module and to the acquisition module, and the memory element 54and the flash memory 75 correspond to the storage module. Further, inkof this embodiment corresponds to a colorant of the present invention,the recording sheet S corresponds to the print medium, the thresholdLlow corresponds to the first amount remaining, the threshold Nlowcorresponds to the first number of sheets remaining, the threshold Lendcorresponds to the second amount remaining, and the threshold Nendcorresponds to the second number of sheets remaining. Further, in thisembodiment, one example of a printing notification method of the presentinvention will also be clarified by means of a description of theoperations of the ink jet printer 20.

According to the ink jet printer 20 of this embodiment described above,when the number of sheets printed reaches the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing, a number that is an upper limit of the numberof sheets that can be printed, printing is not performed with an inkcartridge 50 for which a number of sheets guaranteed for printing hasbeen set. When the number of sheets printed does not reach the number ofsheets guaranteed for printing, printing of an image onto a recordingsheet S is performed by use of the ink cartridge 50, the number ofsheets remaining N is determined on the basis of the number of sheetsprinted, and information on the number of sheets remaining N thusdetermined is displayed on the display unit 62. In this way, by use ofan ink cartridge 50 for which a number of sheets guaranteed for printinghas been set, printing is performed until the number of sheets printedhas reached the number of sheets guaranteed for printing; information onthe number of sheets remaining N is determined from the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing; and the number of sheets printed with this inkcartridge 50 is displayed. Thus, by means of the ink cartridge 50, itbecomes possible to notify a user of the number of sheets remaining forprinting N with a degree of certainty. Further, as the number of sheetsremaining information display screen 80 appears on the display unit 62,it is possible to use visual means to make a user aware of the number ofsheets remaining, by means of images.

Furthermore, when information on the number of sheets remaining N isdisplayed, a relationship between the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting and the number of sheets remaining N is displayed on thedisplay unit 62 in a visible mode, by displaying in different colors,from among a plurality of blocks that are composed of areas delimited bya predetermined number of sheets guaranteed for printing, blockscorresponding to the number of sheets remaining N and blockscorresponding to the number of sheets printed. Thus, a user can easilycheck in a visible mode against the upper sheet limit defined for theink cartridge 50, the number of sheets currently remaining for printing.Further, since the number of sheets remaining and the number of sheetsprinted are displayed in areas in different modes, in comparison withcases in which a user reads characters, a user can check relativelyquickly a relationship between the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting and the number of sheets remaining N. In addition, as thenumber of sheets remaining and the number of sheets printed aredisplayed in areas in different colors, a user can check visually andmore easily areas corresponding to the number of sheets remaining andareas corresponding to the number of sheets printed. Furthermore, sincethe relationship between the number of sheets guaranteed for printingand the number of sheets remaining is displayed in areas in the shape ofa gauge by using blocks, it is easy to separate and display areascorresponding to the number of sheets remaining and those correspondingto the number of sheets printed.

Furthermore, as the number of sheets remaining N is stored in the memoryelement 54 or the flash memory 75, information on the number of sheetsremaining can be managed relatively easily. In addition, as thecartridge information (such as the number of sheets remaining N) isstored in the memory element 54 provided in the ink cartridge 50, theink cartridge 50 can be reliably linked with the number of sheetsremaining in the ink cartridge 50. Furthermore, the display unit 62 issuch that when the number of sheets printed increases, from among areaswhere the number of sheets guaranteed for printing is displayed, thenumber of blocks corresponding to the number of sheets remaining Ndecreases. Thus, with the use of the ink cartridge 50 a user can easilykeep track of how the number of sheets remaining N is decreasing.

In addition, when the amount of ink remaining L falls below thethreshold Llow, or the number of sheets remaining N falls below thethreshold Nlow, the display unit 62 displays a message to the effectthat the number of sheets that can be printed with the ink cartridge 50has decreased. When the amount of ink remaining L reaches the thresholdLend, or after the number of sheets remaining N reaches the thresholdNend, the display unit 62 not only displays a message to the effect thatprinting is no longer possible with the ink cartridge 50, but alsoprevents the printer mechanism 21 from printing with the ink cartridge50. Thus, by means of messages a user can keep track of any reduction inthe number of sheets remaining N, or in the amount of ink remaining L.After the amount of ink remaining L reaches the threshold Lend, by notprinting with that ink cartridge 50, any damage to the print head 24caused by the practice of use while the amount of ink is low can beprevented. After the number of sheets remaining N reaches the thresholdNend, by not printing with the ink cartridge 50, it is possible toensure with certainty that the number of sheets guaranteed for printingis printed. In addition, as photograph images are printed on recordingsheets S by use of the ink cartridge 50, in comparison with cases inwhich the printing of characters and that of photographs are mixedtogether, fluctuations in amounts of ink consumed during the printing ofimages will be less extreme, and a relatively appropriate amount of inkcan be contained in advance in a cartridge 50. In addition, ink can beused to print photographs, and this facilitates clean printing.

It goes without saying that, the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, and that it can be carried out in a varietyof embodiments, as long as they remain confined to the technical rangeof this invention.

For instance, in the embodiment described above is displayed the numberof sheets remaining information screen 80 that incorporates the numberof sheets remaining display unit 80 b on which are vertically arrangedrectangular blocks for which a predetermined percentage of the number ofsheets guaranteed for printing remains unchanged until printing of thenumber of sheets guaranteed for printing. However, as shown in FIG. 8,when the number of sheets remaining N falls short of a predeterminedpercentage (10% in this case) of the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting (in this case, when it falls short of 10 sheets), it may bepossible to switch to, and display, the number of sheets remaininginformation display unit 81 b on which 10% of the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing is considered full scale, and thus rectangularblocks, each block representing one sheet, are vertically arranged. Inthis way, the number of sheets remaining N immediately before shut-offcan be visually checked.

In the embodiment described above has been described a number of sheetsremaining information display screen 80 incorporating a number of sheetsremaining display unit 80 b on which are vertically arranged rectangularblocks corresponding to a predetermined percentage of the number ofsheets guaranteed for printing. However, as shown in FIG. 9, a number ofsheets remaining information display screen 82 may be displayedincorporating the number of sheets remaining display unit 82 b thatdisplays numeric characters expressing the number of sheets guaranteedfor printing as a denominator, and the number of sheets remaining N as anumerator. In this way, a user can recognize in detail the number ofsheets guaranteed for printing and the number of sheets remaining N.Otherwise, as information relating to the number of sheets remaining N,the number of sheets remaining N at a time when the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing is set as 100% may be displayed in areas as apercentage, or in characters as a percentage. Even in thesecircumstances, a user can still check visually, against the maximumlevel of sheets that can be printed, the number of sheets remaining forprinting.

In the embodiment described above has been described a number of sheetsremaining information display screen 80 incorporating a number of sheetsremaining display unit 80 b on which when the number of sheets printedincreases, the number of colored blocks corresponding to the number ofsheets remaining N decreases. However, as shown in FIG. 10, the numberof sheets remaining information display screen 80 may incorporate anumber of sheets printed display unit 83 b in which an upper limit isset to the number of blocks corresponding to the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing, and when the number of sheets printedincreases, the number of colored blocks corresponding to the increase inthe number of sheets printed may be displayed. Even in thesecircumstances, as uncolored blocks correspond to the number of sheetsremaining N, and the number of sheets remaining N can be visuallychecked indirectly from the number of uncolored blocks, a user caneasily check visually against the maximum level of sheets that can beprinted, as defined for the ink cartridge 50, the number of sheetscurrently remaining for printing. Alternatively, the number of sheetsremaining information display screen 80 may incorporate a number ofsheets printed display unit 83 b that displays as a denominator anumeric character expressing the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting and the number of sheets printed as a numerator.

In the embodiment described above has been described a number of sheetsremaining information display screen 80 on which the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing and the number of sheets remaining N can bevisually checked. However, the number of sheets remaining informationdisplay screen 80 may also display only the number of sheets remainingN. In these circumstances, the number of sheets remaining N may bedisplayed as a numeric character. In this way, by means of the cartridgeit is possible for a user to be notified with certainty of the number ofsheets remaining N for printing.

In the embodiment described above, a user is notified on the displayunit 62 of information relating to the number of sheets remaining N.However, the ink jet printer 20 may also comprise a speaker (not shown),convert into sound any information on the number of sheets remaining N,and notify users by outputting the converted sound from this speaker. Inthis way, it becomes possible to notify a user aurally of the number ofsheets remaining, by means of sound.

In the embodiment described above, the memory element 54 storescartridge information 54 a such as the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting, the number of sheets printed, the number of sheets remaining,the maximum amount of ink, the amount of ink consumed, the amount of inkremaining, the maximum amount of effluent, the amount of effluent, andthe permissible amount of effluent. However, the memory element 54 mayalso store the cartridge information that contains either the number ofsheets printed or the number of sheets remaining, either the amount ofink consumed or the amount of ink remaining, or either the amount ofeffluent or the permissible amount of effluent. For instance, if a userknows either one of the number of sheets printed or the number of sheetsremaining, the user can calculate the other one of these figures bycalculating a difference from the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting. In this way, simplification of the cartridge information 54 acan be achieved.

In the embodiment described above, both the memory element 54 and theflash memory 75 store the cartridge information 54 a. However, eitherone of these items may be omitted, and thereby the degree of consumptionon the part of the memory can be reduced. In these circumstances,considering the fact that the ink cartridge 50 is linked with thecartridge information 54 a, it is preferable to eliminate the saving ofthe cartridge information within the flash memory 75.

In the embodiment described above, after a printing instruction is givenat step S150, the display unit 62 displays the number of sheetsremaining display unit 80 b. For instance, when a display instructionfrom a user corresponding to depression of the set key 64 c is obtained,the display unit 62 may display the number of sheets remaining displayunit 80 b. In this way, a user is able to check the number of sheetsremaining N whenever the user so wishes.

In the embodiment described above, the amount of ink remaining L is kepttrack of and display of the message, or shut-off is performed on thebasis of the amount of ink remaining L. However, cognition of the amountof ink remaining L, or the execution of a display of a message, orshut-off, on the basis of the amount of ink remaining L, may beeliminated. In this way, simplified processing can be achieved.

In the embodiment described above, the ink cartridge 50 incorporates theeffluent pad 53, and the main body is cleaned by using the effluent pad53 to absorb waste ink. However, an effluent tank may be provided on themain body, and the ink cartridge 50 need not necessarily incorporate theeffluent pad 53. At that time, in the embodiment described above, thepermissible amount of effluent W is kept track of, and display of themessage, or shut-off is performed on the basis of the permissible amountof effluent W. However, cognition of the permissible amount of effluentW, and execution of a display of the message, or shut-off, on the basisof the permissible amount of effluent W, may be eliminated. In this way,simplified processing can be achieved.

In the embodiment described above, the number of sheets remaininginformation display screen 80 incorporating the number of sheetsremaining display unit 80 b is displayed on the display unit 62.However, the number of sheets remaining information display screen 80may also be displayed on the display unit of the user PC 90.

In the embodiment described above, the printer mechanism 21 is of theoff-carriage type in which an ink cartridge 50 is mounted on the mainbody. However, the printer mechanism 21 may also be a printer mechanismof an on-carriage type in which an ink cartridge 50 is mounted on thecarriage 22. In such circumstances, at step S100, when the ReplaceCartridge button (not shown) is pressed, a judgment may be made to theeffect that the ink cartridge 50 may possibly have been replaced.

In the embodiment described above, normal printing was described.However, for instance, if a printing process is performed with the inkcartridge 50 for a printer maintenance operation such as a nozzle checkprinting process, in which the conditions of the ejection of ink fromthe nozzles are checked, or a gap adjustment printing process, in whicha distance from the print head 24 to the platen 40 is adjusted, thenumber of sheets remaining N at step S210 may not need to be updated.This is because printing for purposes of a printer maintenance processis not scheduled by a user, but is done for reasons relating to theprinter itself. In this way, for printing scheduled by a user, printingcan be ensured of the number of sheets guaranteed.

Second Embodiment

As an ink jet printer 20 of this embodiment has the same configurationas that of the first embodiment, a description thereof is omitted. Theink jet printer 20 of this embodiment uses as an image for printing,images of photographs taken by, for instance, a digital camera, and isconfigured as a so-called printer used exclusively for printingphotographs, a printer that can print as sheets S plural sheets such asrecording sheets of photograph size (L version) or of postcard size. Itis possible to attach thereto an ink cartridge 50 with which printing ofa number of sheets guaranteed for printing is guaranteed (also referredto a guaranteed range of sheets), a number that has been set inaccordance with the amount of ink contained in the ink cartridge. Inthis context, as the total number of sheets printed with an inkcartridge 50, a range between a figure of no fewer than the highestnumber of sheets that can be printed when printing is confined to sheetsof postcard size, and a figure of not more than the highest number ofsheets that can be printed when printing is confined to sheets of Lversion size (which shall be referred to as an upper printing limit) isdefined as the guaranteed range of sheets. In other words, in order toensure printing within the guaranteed range of sheets, the ink jetprinter 20 is configured so as to finish printing with this inkcartridge 50 even if some ink is in practice remaining after the highestnumber of sheets in the guaranteed range of sheets has been printed, andas a matter of form the amount of ink is deemed in mathematical terms tohave been consumed.

In this embodiment, as information stored in the memory element 54, orinformation stored in the flash memory 75 differs from that in the firstembodiment, a description thereof follows. FIG. 11 is an illustration ofcartridge information 254 a stored in the memory element 54. FIG. 12 isan illustration of cartridge information 275 a, points necessary forprinting information 275 b, the number of sheets remaining for printingcalculation information 275 c and the number of sheets remaining forprinting information 275 d, stored in the flash memory 75.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the cartridge information 254 a thatconstitutes information about the ink cartridge 50 is stored in thememory element 54. The cartridge information 254 a contains inter aliapoints guaranteed for printing representing, in terms of points, amountsof ink with which the upper limit of sheets for printing, in other wordsthe upper limit of sheets that can be printed with the cartridge, can beprinted; points representing printing that has been completed,representing amounts of ink already used in printing with thatcartridge, and points remaining for printing, constituting a differencevalue between the points guaranteed for printing and the pointsrepresenting printing that has been completed, and that represents theamount of ink remaining in that cartridge with which printing is stillpossible. In this embodiment, the upper limit of sheets for printing isset to 100 sheets, representing the number of sheets when printing isconfined to sheets S of L version size, and individual ink containers 52a to 52 f contain at least amounts of ink such that ink sufficient forthe upper limit of sheets for printing can be ejected over the entirenumber of sheets of the L version size. Therefore, whatever kind ofprinting is performed, printing of the upper limit of sheets forprinting can be guaranteed with certainty (100 sheets of L versionsize). In addition, as the configuration is such that pointsrepresenting printing that has been completed is calculated in such away that in the course of one sheet being printed, ink of all the colorscould be ejected onto all the surfaces, points guaranteed for printingthus relate to the entire ink cartridge 50, and not to individual colorsof ink. In this context, the points guaranteed for printing are definedas 70 points. Although they are not reflected in the points guaranteedfor printing, provision for amounts of ink used for printer maintenance,such as cleaning processes necessary for the printing of the upper limitof sheets for printing, has been made in the individual ink containers52 a to 52 f.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, in addition to the cartridge information 275a that includes contents identical to the cartridge information 254 adescribed above, the flash memory 75 stores points necessary forprinting information 275 b that includes points necessary for printingrepresenting an amount of ink necessary for printing one sheet; thenumber of sheets remaining for printing calculation information 275 cthat is used for calculating the number of sheets remaining forprinting, specifically the number of sheets remaining that can beprinted with that cartridge; and the number of sheets remaining forprinting information 275 d that includes the number of sheets remainingfor printing, corresponding to each sheet for printing with thatcartridge. The cartridge information 275 a is read out of the inkcartridge 50 mounted at that time and stored in preparation for purposessuch as the retrieval or re-mounting of the ink cartridge 50. The pointsnecessary for printing information 275 b includes the points necessaryfor printing (0.7 points) the entire surface of one sheet of paper of Lversion size and the points necessary for printing (1.0 point) theentire surface of one sheet of postcard size. The number of sheetsremaining for printing calculation information 275 c includes, as acalculation formula, a calculation formula for dividing by the pointsnecessary for printing each size of sheet the points remaining forprinting, corresponding to the amount of ink for printing. The number ofsheets remaining for printing information 275 d includes the highestnumber of sheets that can be printed with the sheet S size of paper andthe current number of sheets remaining for printing in each size ofsheet. In this context, the highest number of sheets of L version sizeis 100 sheets, while the highest number of sheets of postcard size is 70sheets. For this reason, when a user prints with the ink cartridge 50using only sheets of L version size, the printing of 100 sheets isensured. When a user prints only sheets of postcard size, the printingof 70 sheets is ensured. If a user prints both sizes of sheets, printingwithin a range of from 70 to 100 sheets can in general be guaranteed.

In the following, a description will be given of an operation of the inkjet printer 20 of the embodiment that has been thus configured. FIG. 13is a flow chart illustrating one example of a printing/display controlroutine executed by the CPU 72 of the controller 70. The routine isstored in the ROM 73 and executed by the CPU 72 after the power of theink jet printer 20 has been turned ON. When this routine has beencommenced, the CPU 72 judges first of all whether or not the routinestarted immediately after the power of the ink jet printer 20 had beenturned ON, or whether or not the ink cartridge 50 has been replaced(step S300). This judgment is made to ensure that the contents of thecartridge information 275 a are made identical to those of the inkcartridge 50 mounted onto the printer mechanism 21. The judgment as towhether or not the ink cartridge 50 has been replaced can be made, forinstance, on the basis of whether or not the contents of the cartridgeinformation 254 a differ from those of the cartridge information 275 a.

If at least one of these two conditions is met, in other words, eitherthat the routine started immediately after the power of the ink jetprinter 20 had been turned ON, or that the ink cartridge 50 had beenreplaced, the CPU 72 not only reads the cartridge information 254 astored in the memory element 54 of the ink cartridge 50 but alsocalculates the number of sheets remaining for printing (step S310).Then, the CPU 72 not only writes the content of the cartridgeinformation 254 a into the cartridge information 275 a, but also writesinto the number of sheets remaining for printing information 275 d thenumber of sheets remaining for printing thus calculated (Step S320). Thenumber of sheets remaining for printing is set in such a way that acalculation is made for each of the individual sizes of sheet, and byuse of the calculation formula included in the number of sheetsremaining for printing calculation information 275 c, the pointsremaining for printing, in other words the difference between the pointsrepresenting printing that has been completed, corresponding to thetotal amount of ink in the ink cartridge 50 used for the printings, andthe points guaranteed for printing, corresponding to the amount of inkwith which the upper limit of sheets for printing can be printed, bymeans of dividing this figure by the points necessary for printing thatare contained in the points necessary for printing information 275 b,and that correspond to the amount of ink necessary for the printing ofone sheet. In addition, the highest number of sheets corresponding toeach size of sheets contained in the number of sheets remaining forprinting 275 d is also calculated by using the points guaranteed forprinting, in place of the points remaining for printing, included in thenumber of sheets remaining for printing calculation information 275 c.Then, the number of sheets remaining for printing, thus calculated, andthe highest number of sheets corresponding to each size of sheet arewritten into the number of sheets remaining for printing information 275d. Further, since the number of prints is treated as an integer, anynumeric value after the decimal point calculated in accordance with thecalculation formula of the number of sheets remaining for printingcalculation information 275 c can be rounded down.

After step S320, or after at step S 300 it is judged that the routinedid not start immediately after the power of the ink jet printer 20 hadbeen turned ON, nor that the ink cartridge was replaced, the CPU 72judges whether or not the ink cartridge 50 is in a state in whichprinting is possible (step S330). The judgment as to whether or not theink cartridge 50 is in a state in which printing is possible can be madeby means of judging, for instance, whether or not the number of sheetsremaining for printing with the ink cartridge 50, a number that isincluded in the number of sheets remaining for printing information 275d and that is stored in the flash memory 75, is a value of 0. If it isjudged that the ink cartridge 50 is not in a state in which printing ispossible, the CPU 72 displays a warning message on the display unit 82to the effect that printing is not possible with this ink cartridge 50(step S470).

On the other hand, if at step S330 it is judged that the ink cartridge50 is in a state in which printing is possible, the CPU 72 judgeswhether any printing instruction exists (step S340). The judgment as towhether or not any printing instruction exists is made on the basis ofwhether or not print data was received from the user PC 90, or whetheror not the print execution key 64 e was pressed. If it is judged that noprinting instruction exists, the CPU 72 performs the processes afterstep S300 described above. If it is judged that a printing instructiondoes exist, the CPU 72 displays on the display unit 62 the number ofsheets remaining for printing display screen 280 in order to notify auser of the number of sheets that can be printed with the ink cartridge50, as shown in FIG. 14, FIG. 15, and FIG. 16 (step S350). On the numberof sheets remaining for printing display screen 280 are provided thetitle display unit 280 a that displays a title of the screen; the numberof sheets remaining for printing display unit 280 b that displays, innumeric characters, the respective numbers of sheets remaining forprinting and corresponding to a name of sheet and a size of sheet foreach sheet; and the message display unit 280 c that displays items suchas messages to a user. The number of sheets remaining for printingcorresponding to each size of sheet, a number displayed in the number ofsheets remaining for printing display unit 280 b, is set so as to useinstructions read from the number of sheets remaining for printinginformation 275 d.

If the number of sheets remaining for printing display screen 280 isdisplayed on the display unit 62, the CPU 72 judges whether or not thenumber of sheets remaining for printing is lower than the threshold Nend(step S360). The threshold Nend is a threshold intended to judge thatprinting is not possible with the ink cartridge 50, and is set to thevalue of the number of sheets remaining for printing at a time when allof the sheets that can be printed have been printed, i.e., a value of 0.If it is judged that the number of sheets remaining for printing islower than the threshold Nend, the CPU 72 determines that printing is nolonger possible with the mounted ink cartridge 50, and sets 0 to thepoints remaining for printing in the cartridge information 275 a storedin the flash memory 75 and in the cartridge information 254 a stored inthe memory element 54 (step S370). Thus, if, when the points remainingfor printing is divided by the points necessary for printing, the numberof sheets remaining for printing is a value after the decimal point (inother words, the number of sheets remaining for printing is less thanone sheet), the CPU 72 sets a value of 0 to the points remaining forprinting, and deems that the points printed have reached the pointsguaranteed for printing. Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the CPU 72 displayson the message display unit 280 c of the number of sheets remaining forprinting display screen 280 (step S470) a warning message to the effectthat printing is not possible with this ink cartridge 50.

On the other hand, if at step S360 it is judged that the number ofsheets remaining for printing is not lower than the threshold Nend, theCPU 72 judges for each size of sheet whether or not the number of sheetS sheets remaining for printing is lower than the threshold Nend (stepS380). The threshold Nlow is a threshold intended to notify a user thatthe number of sheets that can be printed with the ink cartridge 50 islow, and may be defined to any value. In this case, the threshold Nlowis defined to be a value of 20% of the highest number of sheets S ofpostcard size that can be printed. If it is judged that the number ofsheets remaining for printing is lower than the threshold Nlow, as shownin FIG. 16, the CPU 72 displays on the message display unit 280 c of thenumber of sheets remaining for printing display screen 280 (step S390) acautionary message to the effect that the number of sheets that can beprinted with the ink cartridge 50 has decreased.

If at step S380 it is judged that the number of sheets remaining forprinting is higher than the threshold Nlow, or after the cautionarymessage has been displayed at step S390, on the basis of informationcontained in the print data stored in the RAM 74 (step S400), the CPU 72obtains the size of sheet of the print data for which a printinginstruction has been issued and performs a process of printing the printdata for which the printing instruction has been issued (step S410).More specifically, during the printing process, the CPU 72 performsfunctions such as driving the drive motor 33 and rotating the paper feedroller 35, and transports the sheet S to the area on the platen 40 whereprinting is possible. Then, the CPU 72 develops into bitmap images theprint data within the print data buffer of the RAM 74, and controlsvoltage to the print head 24 so that the data that has been developed isprinted on the sheet S. Then, the CPU 72 drives the carriage motor 34 a,moves the carriage 22 in the carriage moving direction, and performs aninstance of either flushing or cleaning by means of, for instance,moving the carriage 22 to the capping device 41 in stages.

In such a manner, when the process of printing one page is completed,the CPU 72 calculates the points representing printing that has so farbeen completed (step S420). The points representing printing that hasbeen completed are calculated by means of reading from the pointsnecessary for printing information 275 b the points necessary forprinting that correspond to the printing points used in printing on thisoccasion and conform with the size of sheet obtained in step S400; andby adding the points necessary for printing that have been read to thepoints representing printing that has been completed on the lastoccasion. On the basis of points representing printing that has beencompleted (Step S430), the CPU 72 calculates the number of sheetsremaining for printing corresponding to each size of sheet. Thecalculation of the number of sheets remaining for printing needs to bedone in a manner similar to that of Step S310 described above. In thiscontext, as during the printing process, it is rare that ink of eachcolor be ejected onto the entire surface of the sheet S, the amount ofink actually consumed during printing is less than the amount of inkcorresponding to the printing points that constitute a calculation ofthe number of sheets remaining for printing. In other words, bycontinuing to print in a situation in which more printed points areestimated than the amounts of ink actually used, ink of an amount thatcan print the number of sheets remaining for printing can be ensuredwith certainty. Thus, if in the ink jet printer 20, all ink contained inthe ink cartridge 50 is used up, and printing is performed of as manysheets as possible, priority is given to ensuring printing of the numberof sheets guaranteed for printing rather than allowing the number ofsheets being printed to become unstable. After calculating the number ofsheets remaining for printing, the CPU 72 updates the cartridgeinformation 254 a stored in the memory element 54, and both thecartridge information 275 a and the number of sheets remaining forprinting information 275 d stored in the flash memory 75 (Step S440).

Next, the CPU 72 judges whether or not all of the printing processes ofthe print data have been terminated (step S450). If the CPU 72 judgesthat the printing processes have not been terminated, the CPU 72performs the processes after step S350. On the other hand, if at stepS450 it is judged that the printing process has been terminated, orafter a warning message has been displayed in the display unit 62 atstep S470, the CPU 72 judges whether or not the power has been turnedOFF (step S460). If the power has not been turned OFF, the CPU 72performs the processes after step S300 described above. If the power hasbeen turned OFF, the CPU 72 terminates this routine. Thus, if at stepS330 it is judged that a state does not exist in which printing ispossible, or when the number of sheets remaining for printing fallsbelow the threshold Nend at step S360, the CPU 72 ensures that theprocess of printing is not undertaken with the ink cartridge 50, andevery time that printing is performed with the ink cartridge 50 updatesthe number of sheets remaining for printing.

In this context, the relationship between components of this embodimentand those of the present invention will now be clarified. The displayunit 62 of this embodiment corresponds to the notification module anddisplay module of the present invention. The printer mechanism 21corresponds to the printing module, the controller 70 corresponds to thecontrol module and the acquisition module, and the memory element 54 andthe flash memory 75 correspond to the storage module. In addition, inkof this embodiment corresponds to the colorant of the present inventionand the sheet S corresponds to the print medium. The points guaranteedfor printing correspond to the amount of colorant guaranteed forprinting, the points necessary for printing correspond to the amount ofcolorant necessary, the points representing printing that has beencompleted correspond to the amount of colorant printed, the number ofsheets remaining for printing corresponds to the number of sheetsremaining, and the points remaining for printing correspond to theamount of colorant remaining. In this embodiment, one example of aprinting notification method of the present invention is also clarifiedby means of description of operations of the ink jet printer 20.

According to the ink jet printer 20 of this embodiment that has beendescribed in detail above, when the points representing printing thathas been completed reach the points guaranteed for printing, printing isdisabled by means of the ink cartridge 50 that contains at least ink forthe points guaranteed for printing. When the points representingprinting that has been completed do not reach the points guaranteed forprinting, an image is printed on a sheet S with this ink cartridge 50.On the basis of the points necessary for printing information 275 bincluding the points representing printing that has been completed, thepoints guaranteed for printing, and the points necessary for printingrelative to multiple types of sheets S, the number of sheets remainingfor printing is determined for each of the multiple types of sheets S,and the number of sheets remaining for printing thus determined isdisplayed on the display unit 62. In other words, the number of sheetsremaining for printing for each of the multiple types of sheets S whileprinting is taking place with the use of the ink cartridge 50 up to theupper limit of sheets for printing, a number that constitutes the upperlimit of sheets that can be printed, is determined by dividing thepoints remaining for printing, which is a difference value between thepoints guaranteed for printing, corresponding to the upper limit forprinting and the points representing printing that has been completed,in other words used during printing, by the points necessary forprinting of a predetermined sheet. Thus, when the upper limit of sheetsfor printing is reached, printing with that cartridge does not takeplace, and during the course of using the cartridge no case arises inwhich the necessary printing points fluctuate and printing cannot bedone until printing of the notified number of sheets remaining forprinting has been completed. Thus, in comparison with cases where thereis no upper limit to the number of sheets that can be printed with theink cartridge, and, in consequence, the number of sheets S of each typeremaining for printing is determined on the basis of the amount of inkused in printing in the past, and notified, the number of sheetsremaining for printing can be notified to a user with a greater degreeof certainty, in conformance with the multiple type of sheet S. Thus,there is no need for a user to become confused because the notifiednumber of sheets remaining for printing differs from the number ofsheets actually printed. In addition, as the determined number of sheetsremaining for printing is displayed on the display unit 62, a user canvisually recognize the number of sheets remaining for printing, by meansof images.

In addition, since, when the ink cartridge 50 is used to print an imageon a sheet S, the points representing printing that has been completed,to which printing points used during printing on this occasion has beenadded, is stored in the flash memory 75, or in the memory element 54, itis relatively easy to manage the points representing printing that hasbeen completed. In addition, when the ink cartridge 50 is used to printan image on a sheet S, points representing printing that has beencompleted, are determined on a basis of printing points used duringprinting on this occasion having been added. Then, on the basis ofpoints representing printing that has been completed, thus determined,the points guaranteed for printing, and the points necessary forprinting information 275 b, the number of sheets remaining for printingcan be determined in respect of each of the multiple types of sheet S.As the number of sheets remaining for printing thus determined is storedin the flash memory 75, or in the memory element 54, the number ofsheets remaining for printing can be notified more quickly than in acase in which, for instance, the number of sheets remaining for printingis determined after the notification command of the number of sheetsremaining.

In addition, since information about the ink cartridge 50 (items such aspoints representing printing that has been completed or points remainingfor printing) is stored in the memory element 54 provided in the inkcartridge 50, the ink cartridge 50 can be linked with certainty withinformation about the ink cartridge 50. Furthermore, when thenotification command to display on the display unit 62 the number ofsheets remaining for printing is obtained by means of the receipt of aprinting command, the number of sheets remaining for printing may bedisplayed when an image is printed (when a user needs it) so as todisplay on the display unit 62 the number of sheets remaining forprinting, thus determined. Moreover, if a value after a decimal pointresults when the points remaining for printing are divided by the pointsnecessary for printing, i.e., when the number of sheets remaining forprinting thus determined is less than 1, in consideration of the factthat the points representing printing that has taken place have reachedthe level of points guaranteed for printing, a value of 0 is set to thepoints remaining for printing and shut-off takes place, therebypreventing printing in excess of the points guaranteed for printing.Further, as the ink cartridge 50 is used to print an image of aphotograph, clean printings with ink become possible.

It goes without saying that, the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, and that it can be carried out in a varietyof embodiments, as long as they remain confined to the technical rangeof this invention.

For instance, in the embodiment described above, as the size of sheet,the points necessary for printing information 275 b including the pointsnecessary for printing of the L version size and the points necessaryfor printing for the postcard size are used. However, as shown in FIG.17, a points necessary for printing information 275 e in which thepoints necessary for printing are defined on the basis of printingconditions of more than one printing quality, such as normal picturequality (ordinary) printing or high quality picture (clean) printing,may be used. At this time, on the basis of this points necessary forprinting information 275 e, the number of sheets remaining for printinginformation 275 f, which is determined for each printing condition ofeach of the multiple types of sheet S, may be stored in the flash memory75. In this way, a user can be notified of the number of sheetsremaining for printing according to the printing conditions applicablefor the printing quality of each of the multiple types of size of sheet,and the user can obtain more detailed information on the number ofsheets remaining for printing. Alternatively, in addition to, or inplace of, the printing conditions on this picture quality for each sizeof sheet, a points necessary for printing may be used in which thepoints necessary for printing are defined on the basis of printingconditions relating to the ink ejection range, including bordered orborderless printing. Even with this, a user can obtain more detailedinformation on the number of sheets remaining for printing.

In the embodiment described above, the points necessary for printing aredefined for sizes of sheet as multiple types. However, in addition to,or in place of this, points necessary for printing may be defined asmultiple types in terms of paper quality, such as gross paper or plainpaper, film sheet or cardboard. Even when this is done, a user can stillbe notified of a more reliable number of sheets remaining for printingbroken down into the multiple types of sheet S. Although in theembodiment described above, the sizes of sheet are set to two types,namely, an L-version size and a postcard size, more than two types mayalso be set.

In the embodiment described above, a user is notified by means ofdisplay of the number of sheets remaining for printing on the displayunit 62. However, a user may be notified by having the ink jet printer20 incorporate a speaker (not shown), by converting into sound thenumber of sheets remaining for printing, and by outputting the convertedsounds from this speaker. In this way, by means of sound a user can beaurally notified of the number of sheets remaining for printing.

In the embodiment described above, the cartridge information 254 aincluding the points representing printing that has been completed andpoints remaining for printing is stored in the memory element 54.However, either of these items may be omitted. The reason for this isthat as long as either one of these two items, points representingprinting that has been completed and points remaining for printing canbe kept track of, the other one of the items can be calculated byworking out a difference from the points guaranteed for printing. Inthis way, simplification of the cartridge information 254 a can beachieved. Further, the same principle also applies to the cartridgeinformation 275 a stored in the flash memory 75. Moreover, the number ofsheets remaining for printing may be stored in the memory element 54. Ifthis is done, the number of sheets remaining for printing, in otherwords information relating to the ink cartridge 50, can be obtained bysimply reading it from the memory element 54.

In the embodiment described above, every time that one sheet of printdata is printed for which a printing instruction has been issued, thepoints representing printing that has been completed, the pointsremaining for printing, and the number of sheets remaining for printingare calculated and updated. However, the size of sheet and the number ofsheets that are incorporated in the print data are obtained, and on thebasis of the information obtained, the points representing printing thathas been completed, the points remaining for printing, and the number ofsheets remaining for printing, are calculated together before printingof this print data starts or after the printing ends, and the cartridgeinformation 254 a, the cartridge information 275 a, and the number ofsheets remaining for printing information 275 d may thereby be updated.In this way, simplification of processing can be achieved. At this time,if the number of sheets that have been printed is greater than thenumber of sheets remaining for printing, the processes of steps S370 andS470 may be executed when the number of sheets remaining for printingbecomes 0 (zero).

In the embodiment described above, the number of sheets remaining forprinting is stored in the flash memory 75. However, instead of this, thenumber of sheets that have been printed, a figure with which the numberof sheets remaining for printing can be calculated by means ofsubtraction from the upper limit of sheets for printing, may be storedin the flash memory 75. The reason for this is that the number of sheetsremaining for printing can be calculated from a difference between theupper limit of sheets for printing and the sheets that have beenprinted.

In the embodiment described above, the cartridge information 275 a, inother words the information relating to the ink cartridge 50, is alwayssaved. However, rather than storing the cartridge information 275 a inthe flash memory 75, whenever necessary the cartridge information 254 aof the memory element 75 may be read from the RAM 74. In this manner,memory consumption on the part of the flash memory 75 can be controlled.

In the embodiment described above, assumptions were made that a commandto display the number of sheets remaining for printing was issuedwhenever a printing instruction was issued at step S340, and that thenumber of sheets remaining for printing was displayed on the displayunit 62. However, screen display keys (not shown) may be provided in theoperating unit 64, and whenever an instruction from a user associatedwith depression of the screen keys is obtained, the number of sheetsremaining for printing may be displayed on the display unit 62. In thismanner, a user is able to check the number of sheets remaining forprinting whenever the user so wishes. At that time, since as describedabove, the ink jet printer 20 calculates the number of sheets remainingfor printing and stores it in the flash memory 75 immediately afterstartup, or after the replacement of a cartridge, the number of sheetsremaining for printing can be displayed on the display unit 62 morequickly than in a case in which the number of sheets remaining forprinting is calculated after a display command has been received.

In the embodiment described above, the size of sheet of print data forwhich a printing instruction has been issued is obtained on the basis ofinformation contained in the print data. However, an optical sensorcapable of detecting an end of a sheet is provided in the carriage 22,and by scanning the carriage 22 at the time that the sheet S istransported to the area where printing is possible, the size of thesheet may be detected by detecting the right and left ends of a sheet Son the basis of output values of light that are illuminated from thesensor and reflected by the sheet S.

In the embodiment described above, the number of sheets remaining forprinting display screen 280 is displayed on the display unit 62.However, the number of sheets remaining for printing display screen 280may be displayed in a display of the user PC 90.

In the embodiment described above, whatever types of printing takesplace, printing of the number of the upper limit of sheets for printingcan be ensured, because for the upper limit of sheets an amount of inkthat permits ejection of ink onto the entire surfaces of sizes of sheetcorresponding to the upper limit of sheets for printing is contained inat least each of the type ink containers 52 a to 52 f. However, anamount of ink necessary for printing of a standard photographic imageplus an amount of ink allowing for a predetermined safety margin iscontained in each of the ink containers 52 a to 52 f, and points may beset such as points guaranteed for printing, and points necessary forprinting, points that correspond to such amounts of ink. In this manner,the amount of residual ink that is superfluous at times of shut-off canbe reduced.

In the embodiment described above, an amount of ink consumed in printermaintenance operations such as an instance of cleaning and an instanceof flushing is not deemed to be printing points. However, printingpoints may be managed even when they take account of amounts of ink tobe consumed during printer maintenance operations.

In the embodiment described above, the printer mechanism 21 is of anoff-carriage type in which an ink cartridge is mounted on the main body.However, the printer mechanism 21 may be of an on-carriage type in whichan ink cartridge 50 is mounted onto the carriage 22. Moreover, althoughthe printer mechanism 21 was described in the embodiment as a color inkjet printer 20 in which ink is used as a colorant, the printer mechanism21 may be a color laser printer in which toner is used as a colorant, ora monochrome printer. Alternatively, although in the embodimentdescribed above, the printing mechanism 21 was a printer usedexclusively for printing photographs, it does not need to be limited inthis way but may be a printer that is capable of printing document data.Alternatively, it may be a hybrid printer unit such as a FAX machine ora copier.

Furthermore, for ease of explanation, cartridge information 254 a,cartridge information 275 a, points necessary for printing 275 b and thenumber of sheets remaining for printing information 275 d have beendescribed in this embodiment with the use of specific values. However,it goes without saying that any arbitrary value may be used asappropriate within the range described above.

Third Embodiment

As the ink jet printer 20 of this embodiment has the same configurationas that of the first embodiment, a description thereof is omitted.However, since in this embodiment, information stored in the memoryelement 54, or the display contents on the display unit 62 of theoperation panel 60, differ from those of the first embodiment, adescription there follows. FIG. 18 is an illustration of cartridgeinformation 354 a stored in the memory element 54. FIG. 19 is anillustration of an information display screen 380 on the operation panel60.

As shown in FIG. 18, the cartridge information 354 a includesinformation such as an initial amount of ink filled Iint correspondingto individual ink containers 52 a to 52 f (C, M, Y, R, B, K) of an inkcartridge 50 that is attached at the time; the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing Ngrt set as an upper limit of the number ofsheets that can be printed with the ink cartridge 50 attached at thetime; the number of sheets printed Npr that represents the number ofsheets printed while the ink cartridge 50 in use at the time isattached; the total amount of ink printed ΣIpr that represents the totalamount of ink consumed during printing performed while the ink cartridge50 in question is attached; the number of instances of cleaning actuallyperformed Ncln while the ink cartridge 50 at the time is attached; anumber of instances of cleaning anticipated Nx that is set when the inkcartridge 50 in question is attached; the total amount of cleaning inkΣIcln that represents the total amount of ink consumed during instancesof cleaning performed while the ink cartridge 50 in question isattached; the permissible amount of effluent Wimax that is the maximumamount that can be absorbed by the effluent pad 53; and the amount ofeffluent WI that is the amount that up to that time has been absorbed bythe effluent pad 53.

As illustrated in FIG. 19, on the information display screen 380displayed on the display unit 62 of the operation unit 60 is provided acount display unit 380 a on which are displayed in visible mode arelationship among the number of sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt,the number of sheets printed Npr, and the number of sheets that can beprinted, and a message display unit 380 b that notifies a user by meansof characters of factors such as the latest situation. On the countdisplay unit 380 a, rectangular blocks corresponding to a predeterminedpercentage (10% in this case) of the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting Ngrt are vertically arranged; blocks corresponding to thenumber of sheets that can be printed will be colored from the bottom,while blocks corresponding to the number of sheets that have beenprinted Npr are displayed in white above the blocks corresponding to thenumber of sheets that can be printed. In FIG. 19, the number of sheetsprinted Npr accounts for 20% of the total number of sheets, while thenumber of sheets that can be printed accounts for 80% of the totalnumber of sheets. Alternatively, at this time, the message display unit380 b may display in numeric characters the number of sheets that can beprinted. In addition, the number of sheets that can be printed can becalculated by subtracting the number of sheets printed Npr from thenumber of sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt.

Next will be described an operation of the ink jet printer 20 of thisembodiment that has thus been configured. In the following description,the number of sheets guaranteed for printing is referred to as thenumber of sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt. FIG. 20 is a flow chartillustrating one example of a main control routine executed by the CPU72 of the controller 70. The routine is stored in the ROM 73 andexecuted by the CPU 72 at predetermined intervals after the power of theink jet printer 20 has been turned ON. When the routine is started, theCPU 72 first enters data such as the initial amount of ink filled Iintcorresponding to individual ink containers 52 a to 52 f (C, M, Y, R, B,K) of an ink cartridge 50 that is attached at the time; the number ofsheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt set as an upper limit of the numberof sheets that can be printed with the ink cartridge 50 at the time; thenumber of sheets printed Npr that represents the number of sheetsprinted while the ink cartridge 50 in question is attached; the totalamount of ink printed ΣIpr that represents the total amount of inkconsumed during printing performed while the ink cartridge 50 inquestion is attached; the number of instances of cleaning Ncln actuallyperformed while the ink cartridge 50 in question is attached; the numberof instances of cleaning anticipated Nx that is set when the inkcartridge 50 in question is attached; and the total amount of cleaningink ΣIcln that represents the total amount of ink consumed duringinstances of cleaning performed while the ink cartridge 50 in questionis attached (Step S510). Although the data has been stored in both thememory element 54 attached to the ink cartridge 50 and the flash memory75 of the controller 70, in this embodiment, the data is read from theflash memory 75 and entered. In addition, when a cartridge cover (notshown), which is opened and closed whenever the ink cartridge 50 isreplaced, is opened or closed, the CPU 72 judges whether or not datastored in the memory element 54 attached to the ink cartridge 50 matchesdata stored in the flash memory 75. If both sets of data do match, theCPU 72 judges that the cartridge has not been replaced, and thereforedoes not update the data. However, if both sets of data do not match,the CPU 72 judges that the ink cartridge 50 has been replaced with a newone. In these circumstances, the CPU 72 not only sets to the number ofanticipated cleanings Nx that are expected to be performed while the newink cartridge 50 after replacement is attached the number of cleaningsNcln that have been performed while the ink cartridge 50 used prior toreplacement was attached, but it also updates data, such as resettingthe number of sheets printed Npr, the total amount of ink printed ΣIpr,the number of instances of cleaning Ncln, and the total amount ofcleaning ink ΣIcln.

Then, the CPU 72 judges whether or not the number of sheets printed Nprhas reached the number of sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt (stepS520), and whether or not the amount of ink remaining in any of the inkcontainers 52 a to 52 f has fallen under a judgment value (step S530).In this context, the ink runout judgment value is set so as to slightlyhigher than zero so that ink will not run out during printing ontosheets for printing. In addition, the initial amount of ink filled Iinitin respect of the individual ink containers 52 a to 52 f is normally setso that ink runout will not occur before the number of sheets printedNpr reaches the number of sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt. However,as the possibility of ink runout occurring for some unexpected reasoncannot be denied, in anticipation of such circumstance, the process ofstep S530 should be performed. The amount of ink remaining and the inkrunout judgment value are expressed in terms of weight. Thus, if at stepS520 the number of sheets printed Npr has not reached the number ofsheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt, and if the amount of ink remainingin any of the ink containers 52 a to 52 f does not fall under the inkrunout judgment value, the CPU 72 judges whether or not any request forthe cleaning of nozzles 23 exists (step S540). A request for thecleaning of nozzles 23 may be made by means of an instruction from auser from the operation panel 60, or an instruction from a user from aprinter driver installed on the user PC 90. In addition, requests aremade automatically by the CPU 72 at predetermined intervals.

If at step S540 no request for cleaning exists, the CPU 72 continues tojudge whether or not any request for printing exists (step S550). Therequest for printing may be made by means of an instruction from a userfrom the operation panel 60, or by means of an instruction from a userfrom a printer driver installed on the user PC 90. If no request forprinting exists at step S550, the CPU 72 directly terminates theroutine. On the other hand, if a request for printing does exist, theCPU 72 reads out print data on the basis of a photographic image thatconstitutes the object of the request for printing, and controls in suchaway that the printer mechanism 21 prints the print data (step S560).More specifically, the CPU 72 performs operations such as driving thedrive motor 33 of the printer mechanism 21 and rotating the paper feedroller 35, and transports a recording sheet S to the area on the platen40 on which printing is possible. Then, the CPU 72 develops into abitmap image print data in the print buffer in RAM 74, and controlsvoltage to the print head 24 so that the data developed is printed onthe recording sheet S. Thus, after the printer mechanism 21 has finishedprinting, the CPU adds to the number of sheets printed NPr the number ofsheets printed on this occasion, and calculates a new value that takesinto account a revised number of sheets printed Npr that reflect theseadditions Npr (Step S570). Then, the CPU 72 adds to the total amount ofink printed ΣIpr the amount of ink printed Ipr used during printing onthis occasion and calculates a new value that takes into account arevised total amount of ink printed ΣIpr (Step S580). Then, the CPU 72terminates the routine. The total amount of ink printed ΣIpr iscalculated for each color. More specifically, dots are divided intothree sizes, namely, large dots, medium dots, and small dots, and inkweight is determined in respect of each single dot of each size in eachcolor. Thus, every time that one printing pass is completed, on thebasis of information relating to what size of dot has been used for eachcolor, how many times has each size of dot been used for each color, andthe ink weight of each single dot, ink usage is calculated for eachcolor (Unit: weight). When the printing of one sheet for printing hasbeen completed, ink usage of every printing pass for each color is addedup so as to calculate an amount of ink of each color Ipr. Then, thetotal amount of ink printed is calculated by adding up the amounts ofink of each color printed Ipr.

When, on the other hand, a request for an instance of cleaning has beenmade at step S540, the CPU 72 first adds a value of 1 to the number ofinstances of cleaning Ncln and calculates a new value that takes intoaccount the revised number of instances of cleaning Ncln (step S590).The CPU 72 then judges whether or not the number of instances ofcleaning Ncln after updating has taken place is the value 1 (step S600).If the number of instances of cleaning Ncln is the value 1, i.e., when acleaning is performed for the first time after an existing ink cartridge50 has been mounted, the CPU 72 calculates the predicted amount ofresidual ink Ix (step S610). The predicted amount of residual ink Ix isthe amount of ink that, on the assumption that the number of sheetsprinted Npr has reached the number of sheets guaranteed for printingNgrt, is anticipated to remain residual in the ink cartridge 50, and iscalculated for every color. More specifically, by dividing the totalamount of ink of a certain color printed ΣIpr by the number of sheetsprinted Npr, an average amount of ink printed per one sheet of thatcolor can be determined. By multiplying the average value by the numberof sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt, on the assumption that thenumber of sheets printed Npr has reached the number of sheets guaranteedfor printing Ngrt, a predicted value of the total amount of print ink ofthat color can be obtained (Ngrt×ΣIpr/Npr). Then, by subtracting thepredicted value of the total amount of ink printed from the initialamount of ink filled lint into the ink cartridge 50 attached at thattime (Ngrt×ΣIpr/Npr), a predicted value of the amount of residual ink ofthat color can be calculated (refer to the formula (1)). If any otheroperation in which ink is consumed (such as flushing), is performed atthis point in time, in the calculation of the predicted amount ofresidual ink Ix, this factor should be taken into account.

Ix=Iint−(Ngrt×ΣIpr/Npr)

Then, if, after step S610 or at step S600, the number of instances ofcleaning Ncln is not the value 1, the CPU judges whether or not thenumber of instances of cleaning Ncln exceeds the anticipated number ofinstances of cleaning Nx (step S620). Then, if the CPU 72 judges thatthe number of instances of cleaning Ncln is less than the anticipatednumber of instances of cleaning Nx, it sets the amount of cleaning inkIcln to a value obtained by dividing by the anticipated number ofinstances of cleaning Nx the smallest value among the predicted amountsof residual ink Ix of respective colors determined at step S610 (stepS630). Furthermore, the CPU 72 adds to the total amount of cleaning inkΣIcln the amount of cleaning ink Icln on this occasion and sets a newvalue that reflects the revised total amount of cleaning ink ΣIcln thattakes these additions into account (step S660). The CPU 72 then performsinstances of cleaning (step S670). In fact, until the instance ofcleaning that is performed just before the number of instances ofcleaning Ncln reaches the anticipated number of instances of cleaningNx, cleaning is performed by taking, as the amount of cleaning ink, avalue obtained by dividing by the anticipated number of instances ofcleaning Nx the smallest value among the predicted amounts of residualink of respective colors that were calculated when a request forcleaning was made for the first time after the ink cartridge 50 inquestion had been attached (Ix/Nx). In this context, cleaning isperformed according to the following procedure. Specifically, thecarriage motor 34 a is driven to move the carriage 22 by way of thecarriage belt 32, so that the print head 24 is located in a positionopposite to the capping device 41. As the carriage 22 moves, the cappingdevice 41 rises toward the print head 24, thereby blocking the nozzles23. If the suction pump 42 is actuated in this condition, a negativepressure is generated in the internal space of the capping device 41. Inthese circumstances, due to the negative pressure, ink is forciblypumped out of the nozzles 23 that have been formed to correspond to eachcolor. The ink pumped out by the suction pump 42, running through theeffluent tube 43 and the effluent feed port 53 a, is absorbed as wasteink by the effluent pad 53 of the ink cartridge 50. The amount of inkactually consumed during instances of cleaning can be calculated on thebasis of rotations of the suction pump 42, and of ink weightcorresponding to the rotations. Thus, after cleaning has been performed,the CPU terminates the routine.

If, on the contrary, at step S620 it is judged that the number ofinstances of cleaning Ncln exceeds the anticipated number of instancesof cleaning Nx, the CPU 72 once again calculates the predicted amount ofresidual ink Ix at this point in time (step S640). The predicted amountof residual ink Ix is calculated for each color according to thefollowing procedure. Specifically, by dividing the total amount of inkprinted ΣIpr of a certain color at that point in time by the number ofsheets printed Npr, an average amount of ink printed per one sheet ofthat color can be determined. By multiplying the average value by thenumber of sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt, on the assumption thatthe number of sheets printed Npr has reached the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing Ngrt, the predicted total amount of ink of thatcolor printed (Ngrt×ΣIpr/Npr) can be determined. Then, by means ofsubtracting from the initial amount of ink filled Iint in the inkcartridge 50 attached at that time, the predicted total amount of ink(Ngrt×ΣIpr/Npr) and the total amount of cleaning ink ΣIcln up to thattime, the predicted amount of residual ink Ix of that color can becalculated (refer to the formula (2)). If any other operation (such asflushing) in which ink is consumed is performed at this point in time,in the calculation of the predicted amount of residual ink Ix, thisfactor should be taken into account.

Ix=Iint−(Ngrt×ΣIpr/Npr)−ΣIcln

Next, the CPU 72 sets the amount of cleaning ink Icln (step S650). TheCPU 72 adds to the total amount of cleaning ink ΣIcln the amount ofcleaning ink Icln on this occasion and sets a new value that takes intoaccount the revised total amount of cleaning ink ΣIcln (step S660). TheCPU 72 then performs the instance of cleaning (step S670). In thiscontext, the amount of cleaning ink Ic is a value obtained by dividingby a fixed value C (C=2 in this embodiment) the smallest value among thepredicted amounts of residual ink Ix of the respective colors that werecalculated at step S640). In other words, as soon as the number ofinstances of cleaning Ncln has reached the anticipated number ofinstances of cleaning Nx, or at a time thereafter, cleaning is performedby using, as the amount of cleaning ink Icln, a value obtained bydividing by the fixed value C the smallest value among the predictedamounts of residual ink Ix of the respective colors that were calculatedwhen the request for cleaning was made (Ix/C). The procedure forcleaning is as has been described above. After performing cleaning inthis way, the CPU 72 terminates the routine.

When, on the contrary, the number of sheets printed Npr has reached thenumber of sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt, or when the amount of inkremaining in any of the ink containers 52 a to 52 f falls below the inkrunout judgment value at step S530, the CPU 72 displays on the messagedisplay unit 380 b of the operation panel 60 a message to the effectthat printing is no longer possible (step S680), and terminates theroutine. Moreover, the initial amounts of ink filled Iinit into theindividual ink containers 52 a to 52 f are set so that ink runout willnot occur before the number of sheets printed Npr reaches the number ofsheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt. However, the possibility of inkrunout occurring for some unexpected reason cannot be denied, and inanticipation of such a contingency, the process of step S530 needs to beperformed.

Next, on the basis of the timing charts of FIG. 21 to FIG. 23, changeswill be described in the number of sheets printed and in the totalconsumption of ink relative to variations in printing time. In thiscontext, a case will be described in which an ink cartridge 50 is firstattached to the ink jet printer 20. For ease of explanation, it shouldbe assumed that the number of sheets guaranteed for printing is 10sheets, that the amount of ink used for printing any one sheet isidentical, and that ink is consumed only during printing and cleaning.Since no data on an ink cartridge 50 before replacement exists when anink cartridge 50 is attached for the first time, the anticipated numberof instances of cleaning is set to zero. As shown in FIG. 21, it can beassumed that a request for cleaning was made for the first time afterthe attachment of the ink cartridge 50 in question after the sixthinstance of printing ended, i.e., when the number of sheets printed Nprwas 6. At this time, since the number of instances of cleaning Ncln is1, an affirmative judgment is made at step S600, and the predictedamount of residual ink Ix is calculated at step S610. Then, since thenumber of instances of cleaning Ncln is greater than the anticipatednumber of instances of cleaning Nx (zero), an affirmative judgment ismade at step S620, and the predicted amount of residual ink Ix is onceagain calculated at step S640. However, this will be identical to thepredicted amount of residual ink Ix mentioned above. Then, at step S650,the amount of cleaning ink Ic1 n should be a value obtained by dividingthe predicted amount of residual ink Ix by the fixed value C (=2). Thetotal amount of cleaning ink ΣIcln is updated at step S660, and cleaningis performed at step S670. The total consumption of ink in FIG. 21 isthat prevailing at the time that this cleaning was completed. Then, asshown in FIG. 22, after the seventh printing ends, i.e., when the numberof sheets printed Npr is 7, an assumption is made that a request for afurther instance of cleaning has been made. At this stage, as the numberof instances of cleaning Nc1 n is 2, a negative judgment is made at stepS600. As the number of instances of cleaning Ncln is greater than theanticipated number of instances of cleaning Nx (zero), an affirmativejudgment is made at step S620, and the predicted amount of residual inkIx at this point in time is calculated at step S640. This will be avalue that is different from the previously predicted amount of residualink Ix. Further, the amount of cleaning ink Icln should be a valueobtained at step S650 by dividing the predicted amount of residual inkIx by the fixed value C (=2) (Ix/2). Then, at step S660, the CPU 72updates the total amount of cleaning ink ΣIcln, and performs an instanceof cleaning at step S670. The total consumption of ink in FIG. 22represents that prevailing when the instance of cleaning was completed.Further, an assumption is made that requests for cleaning were madeafter both the eighth and the ninth instances of printing werecompleted. Each request for cleaning was processed in a similar mannerto the process carried out after the seventh printing, and finally thetenth printing was terminated. FIG. 23 shows that condition. In thisexample, the amount of cleaning ink Icln on each occasion can be seen.If an assumption is made that Ix/2 of FIG. 21 is A, the followinggeometric series can be obtained: Ix/2 for the first time, A/(2²) forthe second time, A/(2³) for the third time, and A/(2⁴) for the fourthtime. The total amount of cleaning ink ΣIcln when the number of timesreaches infinity will converge at A (This point is the same if the fixedvalue C exceeds 1). Thus, although the amount of cleaning ink Ic1 ngradually decreases as the number of instances of cleaning increases,cleaning can still be performed whatever number of instances of cleaninghas taken place. In addition, since theoretically, the sum of the totalamount of cleaning ink ΣIcln and the total amount of ink printed ΣIprcan not exceed the initial amount of ink filled lint, effective shut-offcontrol can be achieved.

Next, on the basis of the timing charts of FIG. 24 to FIG. 26, changesin the number of sheets printed Npr and the total consumption of inkwill be described relative to variations in printing time. In thiscontext, a case will be described in which the ink cartridge 50 isreplaced with a new one, and, as shown in FIG. 23, a total of instancesof 4 cleaning were performed while the ink cartridge 50 used beforereplacement was attached. For ease of explanation, it should be assumedthat the number of sheets guaranteed for printing is 10 sheets, and thatthe amount of ink used for printing any one sheet is identical. When anew ink cartridge 50 is attached, the anticipated number of instances ofcleaning is set to 4 because the number of instances of cleaning of theink cartridge 50 before replacement was 4. As shown in FIG. 24, it canbe assumed that a request for cleaning is made for the first time afterthe sixth instance of printing ended, i.e., when the number of sheetsprinted Npr was 6. At this time, as the number of instances of cleaningNcln is 1, an affirmative judgment is made at step S600, and thepredicted amount of residual ink Ix is calculated at step S610. Then,since the number of instances of cleaning Ncln is smaller than theanticipated number of instances of cleaning Nx (=4), a negative judgmentis made at step S620. Then, at step S630 the amount of cleaning ink Iclnshould be a value obtained by dividing the predicted amount of residualink Ix by the anticipated number of instances of cleaning Nx (Ix/4).Then, at step S660, the CPU 72 updates the total amount of cleaning inkIcln and performs an instance of cleaning at step S670. The totalconsumption ink in FIG. 24 is that prevailing when this instance ofcleaning was completed. FIG. 25 reveals that later a request forcleaning was made after both the seventh and eighth instances ofprinting had been completed, and that each request for cleaning wasprocessed in a manner similar to the process that took place after thesixth printing. As shown in FIG. 25, while the number of instances ofcleaning ranges from 1 to 3, the amount of cleaning ink Icln is the samevalue Ix/4. (However, Ix is the predicted amount of residual ink whenthe first request for cleaning was made). Then, as shown in FIG. 26, anassumption is made that after the ninth instance of printing ended,i.e., when the number of sheets printed was 9, a request for cleaningwas again made. Then, as the number of instance of cleaning Ncln is 4,and greater than the anticipated number of instances of cleaning Nx(=4), an affirmative judgment is made at step S620. At step S640, thepredicted amount of residual ink Ix at this point in time is calculated.Then, at step S650, the amount of cleaning ink Ic1 n should be a valueobtained by dividing the predicted amount of residual ink Ix by thefixed value C (=2) (Ix/2). At step S660, the CPU 72 updates the totalamount of cleaning ink ΣIcln and in step S670 performs an instance ofcleaning. The total consumption of ink in FIG. 26 is that whichprevailed when this instance of cleaning had been completed. In thisexample, until the instance of cleaning immediately before the number ofinstances of cleaning Ncln reaches the anticipated number of instancesof cleaning Nx (=4), i.e., while the number of instances of cleaningranges from 1 to 3, the amount of cleaning ink Icln is the same valueIx/4. (However, Ix is the predicted amount of residual ink when thefirst request for an instance of cleaning was made). However, after thenumber of instances of cleaning Ncln has reached four or later, theamount of cleaning ink will be the value obtained by dividing by thefixed value C (=2) the predicted amount of residual ink Ix at the timethat the request for cleaning was made (Ir/2). Thus, if it is assumedthat the amount of residual ink Ix at this point in time is B, thefollowing geometric series will be obtained: B/2 for the fourth time,B/(22) for the fifth time, A/(23) for the sixth time, etc. Theaccumulated value of the fourth or later amounts of cleaning ink whenthe number of instances reaches infinity will converge at B. Thus,although the amount of cleaning ink Ic1 n gradually decreases after thenumber of instances of cleaning reaches the anticipated number ofinstances of cleaning Nx, cleaning can still be performed however manyinstances of cleaning have already taken place. In addition, since,theoretically, the sum of the total amount of cleaning ink ΣIcln and thetotal amount of ink printed ΣIpr can not exceed the initial amount ofink filled lint, effective shut-off control can be achieved.

Next, the relationship between components of this embodiment and thoseof the present invention will be clarified. The printer mechanism 21 ofthis embodiment corresponds to the printing module of the presentinvention. The suction pump 42 corresponds to the cleaning module. TheCPU 72 and the ROM 73 of the controller 70, the RAM 74, and the flashmemory 75 correspond to the printing control module, the amount ofcleaning ink setting module, the total amount of printed ink derivationmodule, the total amount of cleaning ink derivation module, and theamount of cleaning ink setting module. In addition, the memory element54 (or flashing memory 75) corresponds to the number of instances ofcleaning storage means. In addition, in this embodiment, one example ofa control method for the printing device of the present invention willalso be clarified by means of a description of operations performed bythe ink jet printer 20.

According to the ink jet printer 20 of this embodiment as described indetail above, when an ink cartridge 50 is first attached (i.e., when theanticipated number of instances of cleaning Nx is zero), in order toperform cleaning, an amount less than the predicted amount of residualink Ix (predicted amount of residual ink Ix/fixed value C) is set as theamount of cleaning ink Icln. Thus, ink runout tends not to occur beforethe number of sheets printed Npr reaches the number of sheets guaranteedfor printing Ngrt. Effective shut-off control accordingly becomespossible. In addition, as the amount of cleaning ink Icln is set withinthe predicted amount of residual ink Ix, when a request for the cleaningof nozzles 23 is made, the cleaning of nozzles 23 can be performed witha degree of certainty.

Furthermore, when the ink cartridge 50 is replaced, the number ofinstances of cleaning Ncln while the ink cartridge 50 before replacementwas attached is the anticipated number of instances of cleaning Nx, anumber that it is expected will be performed while the ink cartridge 50after replacement is attached. As the subsequent amount of cleaning inkIcln is set with the anticipated number of instances of cleaning Nxtaken into due consideration, the amount of cleaning ink per instance ofcleaning will be appropriate. In addition, after the number of instancesof cleaning after conversion to the new ink cartridge 50 has reached thenumber of cleanings anticipated Nx, cleaning is performed with amountsof ink that are smaller than the predicted amount of residual ink Ix atthat point in time. Thus, cleaning can be performed with a degree ofcertainty, and as almost no runout occurs before the number of sheetsprinted Npr reaches the number of sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt,effective shut-off control can be achieved.

It goes without saying that, the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, and that it can be carried out in a varietyof embodiments, as long as they remain confined to the technical rangeof this invention.

For instance, in the main control routine of the embodiment describedabove as illustrated in FIG. 20, after the number of instances ofcleaning Ncln is updated at step S590, the CPU 72 may proceed to stepS640 where it calculates the predicted amount of residual ink Ix,calculates at step S650 a value as the amount of cleaning ink Iclnobtained by dividing the predicted amount of residual ink Ix by thefixed value C, updates the total amount of cleaning ink ΣIcln at stepS660, and performs an instance of cleaning at step S670 (Refer to FIG.27). In these circumstances, since an amount less than the predictedamount of residual ink Ix (the predicted amount of residual ink Ix/fixedvalue C) is set as the amount of cleaning ink Icln when an instance ofcleaning is performed, ink runout tends not to occur before the numberof sheets printed Npr reaches the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting Ngrt. Thus, effective shut-off control can be achieved. Inaddition, since the amount of cleaning ink Icln is set within thepredicted amount of residual ink Ix, when a request is made for thecleaning of nozzles 23, the cleaning of nozzles 23 can be performed witha degree of certainty.

In the embodiment described above, the total amount of cleaning inkΣIcln is calculated as an accumulated value of the amount of cleaningink Icln. However, the amount of ink actually consumed during instancesof cleaning may be calculated as an accumulated value of the amount ofink, on the basis of the number of rotations of the suction pump 42, andof ink weight corresponding to the rotations.

In the embodiment described above, the anticipated number of instancesof cleaning Nx is zero at the time that an ink cartridge 50 is firstattached. However, in such circumstances, the anticipated number ofinstances of cleaning Nx may be an integer of 1 or higher (for instance,twice). In that case, as well, effects can be achieved that are almostidentical to those in the embodiment described above.

In the embodiment described above, adopted as the anticipated number ofinstances of cleaning Nx, cleanings that are considered likely to beperformed while the ink cartridge 50 after replacement is attached, wasthe number of instances of cleaning Ncln that had been performed whilethe ink cartridge 50 before replacement was attached. However, if morethan one ink cartridge 50 has been replaced in the past, the averagevalue of the number of instances of cleaning Ncln performed with thoseink cartridges 50 may be adopted.

In the embodiment described above, the printer mechanism 21 is of anoff-carriage type in which the ink cartridge 50 is mounted on the mainbody. However, the printer mechanism 21 may be of an on-carriage type inwhich the ink cartridge 50 is mounted on the carriage 22. In such acase, if the cartridge replace button (not shown) is pressed, the CPU 72judges whether or not data stored in the memory element 54 attached tothe ink cartridge 50 matches data stored in the flash memory 75, and maythen determine whether or not replacement of the cartridge has occurred.

In the embodiment described above, the ink jet printer 20 is shown asbeing capable of performing the function of a printer. However, the inkjet printer 20 may also perform the functions of a scanner or afacsimile, in addition to the function of a printer.

Fourth Embodiment

As the ink jet printer 20 of this embodiment has the same configurationas that of the first embodiment, a description thereof is omitted. Inaddition, as the contents displayed on the display unit 62 of theoperation unit 60 are same as those of the third embodiment, adescription thereof is also omitted. However, in this embodiment,information stored in the memory element 54 differs from that in thefirst embodiment, and a description thereof follows. FIG. 28 is anillustration of cartridge information 454 a stored in the memory element54.

As illustrated in FIG. 28, the cartridge information 454 a includesitems such as the initial amounts of ink filled lint, corresponding tothe individual ink containers 52 a to 52 f (C, M, Y, R, B, K), into anink cartridge 50 attached at the time; the number of sheets guaranteedfor printing Ngrt set as an upper limit of the number of sheets that canbe printed with the ink cartridge 50 attached at the time; the number ofsheets printed Npr that represents the number of sheets printed whilethe ink cartridge 50 in question is attached; the total amount of inkprinted ΣIpr that represents the total amount of ink consumed duringprinting performed while the ink cartridge 50 in question is attached;the number of instances of flushing Nfla actually performed while onesheet for printing is printed; the anticipated number of instances offlushing Nx that is set before printing of one sheet for printing iscommenced, and that is expected to take place during the printing; thetotal amount of flushing ink ΣIfla that represents the total amount ofink consumed during instances of flushing performed while one sheet forprinting is being printed; the permissible amount of effluent Wimax thatis the maximum amount that can be absorbed by the effluent pad 53; andthe amount of effluent WI that is the amount that has been absorbed bythe effluent pad 53 up to that time.

Next will be described operations of the ink jet printer 20 of thisembodiment that has thus been configured. FIG. 29 is a flow chartillustrating one example of a main control routine executed by the CPU72 of the controller 70. The routine is stored in the ROM 73 and isrepeatedly executed by the CPU 72 at predetermined intervals after thepower of the ink jet printer 20 has been turned ON. When the routine isstarted, the CPU 72 first enters various data (Step S700). Morespecifically, the CPU 72 enters data such as the initial amount of inkfilled lint, corresponding to individual ink containers 52 a to 52 f (C,M, Y, R, B, K), into an ink cartridge 50 attached at the time; thenumber of sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt set as an upper limit ofthe number of sheets that can be printed with the ink cartridge 50attached at the time; the number of sheets printed Npr that representsthe number of sheets printed while the ink cartridge 50 in question hasbeen attached; the total amount of ink printed ΣIpr that represents thetotal amount of ink consumed during instances of printing performedwhile the ink cartridge 50 in question has been attached; the number ofinstances of flushing Nfla actually performed while one sheet forprinting is being printed; the anticipated number of instances offlushing Nx that is set before printing of one sheet is commenced, andthat is expected to take place during the printing; the total amount offlushing ink ΣIfla that represents the total amount of ink consumedduring instances of flushing performed while one sheet for printing isbeing printed. Although the data has been stored in both the memoryelement 54 attached to the ink cartridge 50 and the flash memory 75 ofthe controller 75, in this embodiment the data is read from the flashmemory 75 and entered. In addition, when a cartridge cover (not shown),which is opened or closed when the ink cartridge 50 is replaced, isopened or closed, the CPU 72 judges whether or not data stored in thememory element 54 attached to the ink cartridge 50 matches data storedin the flash memory 75. If both data match, the CPU 72 judges that thecartridge has not been replaced, and thus does not update the data.However, if the two set of data do not match, the CPU 72 judges that theink cartridge 50 has been replaced with a new one. Then, the CPU 72updates the number of sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt, and carriesout a procedure such as resetting the total amount of ink ΣIcln, and thetotal amount of flushing ink ΣIfla to zero.

Next, the CPU 72 judges whether or not the number of sheets printed Nprhas reached the number of sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt (stepS710), and whether or not the amount of ink remaining in any one of theink containers 52 a to 52 f has fallen under a ink runout judgment value(step S720). In this context, the ink runout judgment value is set so asto be slightly higher than zero so that ink will not run out whileprinting is being performed onto sheets for printing. In addition, theinitial amount of ink filled Iinit into individual ink containers 52 ato 52 f is normally set so that ink runout will not occur before thenumber of sheets printed Npr reaches the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting Ngrt. However, as the possibility of ink runout occurring forsome unexpected reasons cannot be ruled out, in anticipation of such acontingency, the process of step S720 should be performed. The amount ofink remaining, or the ink runout judgment value, is expressed in termsof weight. Moreover, if, at step S710, the number of sheets printed Nprhas not reached the number of sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt, andwhen the amount of ink remaining in any of ink containers 52 a to 52 fdoes not fall under the ink runout judgment value, the CPU 72 judgeswhether or not any request for the cleaning of nozzles 23 exists (stepS730). The request for printing is made by means of an instruction froma user from the operation panel 60, or by means of an instruction from auser, from a printer driver installed in the user PC 90.

If no request for printing has been made at step S730, the CPU 72directly terminates the routine. On the other hand, if a request forprinting has been made, the CPU 72 resets to zero the number ofinstances of flushing Nlfa that represents the number of instances offlushing performed while one sheet for printing was on this occasionbeing printed (step S740), and calculates the predicted amount ofresidual ink for each color (step S750). More specifically, if ink isused only for printing and flushing, the amount of ink used at thispoint in time is the sum of the total amount of ink printed ΣIpr and thetotal amount of flushing ink Σifla. In addition, on the assumptions thatonly printing is to be performed from then on, and that the number ofsheets printed Npr has reached the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting Ngr, the predicted amount of ink printed is obtained bydetermining an average amount of ink printed per sheet of that color, bydividing the total amount of ink printed ΣIpr by the number of sheetsprinted Npr, and by then multiplying the average value by the sheetsremaining for printing (=Ngrt−Npr). In this case, the predicted amountof residual ink is a value obtained by subtracting from the initialamount of ink filled Iint into the ink cartridge 50 attached at the time(refer to the formula (3)) the amount of ink used (ΣIpr+ΣIfla) and thepredicted amount of ink printed ((Ngrt−Npr)×(ΣIpr)/Npr). In addition,formula (3) is designed for circumstances where the number of sheetsprinted Npr is 1 or higher, and when the number of sheets printed Npr iszero, the predicted amount of residual ink Ix is calculated by deemingthe average amount of ink printed per one sheet to be a predetermineddefault value D (refer to formula (4)). The default value D may be avalue that is determined empirically.

$\begin{matrix}{{{When}\mspace{14mu} {Npr}} \geq 1} & \; \\\begin{matrix}{{Ix} = {{Iint} - \left( {{\Sigma \; {Ipr}} + {\Sigma \; {Ifla}}} \right) - {\left( {{Ngrt} - {Npr}} \right) \times {\left( {\Sigma \; {Ipr}} \right)/{Npr}}}}} \\{= {{Iint} - {{Ngrt} \times {\left( {\Sigma \; {Ipr}} \right)/{Npr}}} - {\Sigma \; {Ifla}}}}\end{matrix} & (3) \\{{{{When}\mspace{14mu} {Npr}} = 0},} & \; \\{{Ix} = {{Iint} - {{Ngrt} \times D} - {\Sigma \; {Ifla}}}} & (4)\end{matrix}$

The amount that can be used for flushing per sheet Ifp is calculated onthe basis of the smallest value of the predicted amounts of residual inkIx among the predicted amount of residual ink of each color that havethus been determined (step S760). More specifically, if an assumption ismade that the smallest value of the predicted amount of residual ink Ixamong the predicted amounts of residual ink Ix of respective colors isthe predicted amount of residual ink Ixmin, the amount that can be usedfor flushing per sheet Ifp will be a value obtained by dividing thispredicted amount of residual ink Ixmin by the number of sheets remainingfor printing (=Ngrt−Npr) (refer to formula (5)). This condition isillustrated in FIG. 30.

Ifp=Ixmin/(Ngrt−Npr)  (5)

Next, a one-way movement of the carriage 22 from one end of the platen40 to the other end is deemed to be one pass, and printing of theequivalent of one pass is performed (step S770). More specifically,print data of a photographic image, which is the object of a request forprinting, is read from the print buffer of the RAM 74, and the printdata is developed into a bitmap image. Then, after a recording sheet Sis transported to the area on the platen 40 where printing is possibleby the driving of the drive motor 33 of the printer mechanism 21 toperform the rotation of the paper feed roller 35, the CPU 72 controlsvoltage to the print head 24 so that while the carriage motor 34 a isbeing driven and the carriage 22 moves by way of the carriage belt 32from one end of the platen 40 to the other, the development data of onepass is printed on the recording sheet.

After printing of one pass has thus been performed, the CPU 72 judgeswhether or not it is an appropriate time to execute an instance offlushing (step S780). In this embodiment, the time for an instance offlushing to be performed occurs every time that a pre-defined givenperiod of time elapses. Moreover, the relationship between, on the onehand, the period of time during which nozzles 23 are exposed and left inthe fresh air and, on the other hand, increases in levels of thickeningof ink within the nozzles 23, is determined in advance by means ofexperiments, and the time that nozzles 23 can be left is a value that isslightly lower than a period of abandonment that is required for thethickening of ink within the nozzles 23 to become a value that starts tointerfere with the ejection of ink. Further, if it is not an appropriatetime to perform an instance of flushing at step S770, the processproceeds to step S850 which will be described later.

On the other hand, if, at step S780, it is an appropriate time toperform an instance of flushing, the CPU 72 increases the number ofinstances of flushing Nfla by 1 (step S790), and judges whether or notthe number of instances of flushing Nfla is less than the anticipatednumber of instances of flushing Nx (step S800). In this embodiment, theanticipated number of instances of flushing Nx is a value obtained bydividing the time required for the printing of one sheet for printing bythe time required to perform an instance of flushing, and by rounding upany fractional part of the resultant value. The period of time requiredfor the printing of one sheet for printing should be decided in such away that it expands commensurately with improvements in printingresolution. Further, when the number of instances of flushing Nfl isless than the anticipated number of instances of flushing Nx, the CPU 72sets as the amount of flushing ink Ifla on this occasion an amount ofink obtained by dividing the amount that can be used for flushing perprint sheet Ifp by the anticipated number of instances of flushing Nx(step S810). When the number of instances of flushing Nfla exceeds theanticipated number of instances of flushing Nx, the CPU 72 sets as theamount of flushing ink Ifla on this occasion an amount of ink obtainedby dividing the latest amount of flushing ink Ifla by a fixed value C (2in this case) (step S820). In other words, when the number of instancesof flushing Nfla is less than the anticipated number of instances offlushing Nx, the amount of flushing ink Ifla will be a given amount (avalue obtained by dividing the amount that can be used for flushing persheet Ifp by the anticipated number of instances of flushing Nx). Whenthe number of instances of flushing Nfla has reached the anticipatednumber of instances of flushing Nx, and if the given amount of ink isconsumed by flushing, all of the amount that can be used for flushingIfp per sheet will be entirely used up at that time. Thus, a valueobtained by dividing the given content by a fixed value C is made theflushing ink value Ifla. When the number of instances of flushing Nflaexceeds the anticipated number of instances of flushing Nx, a valueobtained by dividing the latest amount of flushing ink Ifla by the fixedvalue C is the amount of flushing ink Ifla. Hence, even if the number ofinstances of flushing Nlfa exceeds the anticipated number of instancesof flushing Nx, the amount of flushing ink Ifla required for everyinstance of flushing can be ensured, while at the same time care istaken to ensure that the amount of ink actually used for flushing Ifpper one sheet does not exceed the amount that can be used for flushingper sheet Ifp.

FIG. 31 is an illustration of variations in the amount of ink forflushing Ifla when the anticipated number of instances of flushing Nx isset to 4. As shown in this Figure, when the number of instances offlushing Nfla is between 1 and 3, the amount of flushing ink Ifla is avalue Ifp/4 obtained by dividing the amount that can be used forflushing Ifla per print sheet by the number of instances of flushinganticipated Nx. Further, if the number of instances of flushing Nfla isthe 4^(th), the amount of flushing ink Ifla is a value Ifp/8 obtained bydividing the third amount of flushing ink Ifp/4 by a fixed value C (2 inthis case). Furthermore, if the number of instances of flushing Nfla isthe 5^(th), the amount of flushing ink is a value Ifp/16 obtained bydividing the fourth amount of flushing ink Ifp/8 by the fixed value C (2in this case). Thus, even when the number of instances of flushing Nflaexceeds the number of instances of flushing anticipated Nx, the amountactually used for flushing Ifla per one sheet will not exceed the amountthat can be used for flushing per one sheet Iflp.

After thus setting the amount of flushing ink Ifla, the CPU 72 performsan instance of flushing (step S830). More specifically, the carriagemotor 34 a is driven to move the carriage 22 by way of the carriage belt32, so that nozzles 23 of the print head 24 are located in a positionopposite to the flushing area 38 formed at the left end of the platen40. Then, the CPU 72 controls voltage to print head 24 so that ink isejected from the nozzles 23 of the print head 24, until such time as inkcorresponding to the amount of flushing ink Ifla that has been setearlier is consumed. Then, the CPU 72 adds the amount of flushing inkIfla on this occasion to the total amount of flushing ink Σifla forevery color and calculates a new total amount of flushing ink Σifla thattakes into account the amounts of ink added (step S840). Then, the CPU72 judges whether or not printing of one sheet for printing has beencompleted (step S850). If printing of one sheet for printing has not yetbeen completed, the CPU 72 returns once again to step S770 and performsprinting of one pass. On the other hand, when printing of one sheet forprinting has been completed, the CPU 72 increases the number of sheetsprinted Npr by 1 (step S860), adds to the total amount of ink print ΣIprthe amount of ink printed Ipr used during printing on this occasion, andcalculates a revised total amount of ink printed ΣIpr that takes intoaccount the amount of ink added (step S870). Then, the CPU 72 terminatesthe routine. Furthermore, the total amount of ink printed ΣIpr needs tobe calculated for every color. More specifically, dots are divided intothree sizes, namely, large dots, medium dots, and small dots, and an inkweight is determined for every single dot of each size in each color.Then, every time that one printing pass is terminated, on the basis ofinformation on what size of dot has been used for each color, how manytimes has each size of dot has been used for each color, and on thebasis of ink weight of each single dot, ink usage for each color iscalculated (Unit: weight). When printing of one sheet for printing hasbeen completed, ink usage for every printing pass for every color isadded up so as to calculate the amount of ink of each color printed Ipr.Then, the total amount of ink printed ΣIpr is calculated by adding upthe amounts of ink of each color printed Ipr. The amounts of flushingink Ifla should also be calculated in a similar fashion in terms ofweight.

On the other hand, if, at step S710, the number of sheets printed Nprhas reached the number of sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt, or if, atstep S720, the amount of ink remaining in any of the ink containers 52 ato 52 f falls below the ink runout judgment value, the CPU 72 displayson the message display unit 380 b of the operation panel 60 a message tothe effect that printing is not possible (step S880) and terminates theroutine. Further, the initial amount of ink filled Iinit into theindividual ink containers 52 a to 52 f is normally set so that inkrunout will not occur before the number of sheets printed Npr reachesthe number of sheets guaranteed for printing Ngrt. However, as thepossibility of ink runout occurring for some unexpected reason cannot bedenied, in anticipation of such circumstance, the process of step S720should be performed.

The relationship between components of this embodiment and those of thepresent invention will be clarified. The print head 24 of thisembodiment corresponds to the print head of the present invention. TheCPU 72, the ROM 73, the RAM 74, and the flash memory 75 of thecontroller 70 correspond to the printing control module, the flushingrequest module, and the flushing control module. In addition, in thisembodiment, one example of a control method of the printing device ofthe present invention will also be clarified by means of a descriptionof operations of the ink jet printer 20.

Since according to the ink jet printer 20 of this embodiment, asdescribed in detail above, flushing is performed as long as the amountof ink actually used for flushing per sheet for printing does not exceedthe amount that can be used for flushing per sheet Ifp, calculated onthe basis of the predicted amount of residual ink Ix and the number ofsheets remaining for printing, almost no ink runout occurs before thenumber of sheets printed Npr reaches the number of sheets guaranteed forprinting Ngrt. Effective shut-off control is thereby achieved. Inaddition, even if a number of instances of flushing are requested forone sheet for printing, each instance of flushing can be performed witha degree of certainty. Furthermore, the amount of ink remaining in theink cartridge 50 after shut-off can be kept at as low a level aspossible.

It goes without saying that, the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, and that it can be carried out in a varietyof embodiments, as long as they remain confined to the technical rangeof this invention.

For instance, in the main control routine of FIG. 29 of the embodimentdescribed above, a judgment is made at step S800 as to whether or notthe number of instances of flushing per sheet for printing Nfla is lessthan the anticipated number of instances of flushing Nx. However, stepsS800 and S810 may be eliminated, and by proceeding to S820 after stepS790, the CPU 72 may set as the amount of flushing ink Ifla on thisoccasion an amount of ink obtained by dividing the latest amount offlushing ink Ifla by the fixed amount C. Then, the CPU 72 may proceed tostep S830 and perform an instance of flushing. In this case, the firstamount of flushing ink Ifla is a value obtained by dividing by the fixedvalue C the amount that can be used for flushing per sheet for printingIfp. In a similar manner to the embodiment described above, this can notonly result in effective shut-off control but also possesses theadvantage that even if more than one instance of flushing is requestedin respect of one sheet of print medium, each instance of flushing canbe carried out with a degree of certainty. In addition, in this case,there is no need to set the anticipated number of instances of flushing,thus making it possible to eliminate the counting of the number ofinstances of flushing Nfla.

In the main control routine of the embodiment described above asillustrated in FIG. 29, at step S760, only the amount of ink used forprinting and flushing is considered as the amount of ink used. However,if cleaning is performed, the amount of ink used during cleaning mayalso be added to the amount of ink used.

In the embodiment described above, the flushing area 38 is provided atthe left end of the platen 40. However, flushing may be performedwithout providing a flushing area 38, and by instead making the cappingdevice 41 an area in which printing does not take place. Alternatively,flushing may also be performed by making both the flushing area 38 andthe capping device 41 areas where printing does not take place. In thiscase, the flushing area 38 can be used if flushing is performed whilethe print head 24 is located at the left end of the platen 40 afterprinting of one pass has been completed, and the capping device 41 canbe used if flushing is performed while the print head 24 is located atthe right end of the platen 40. Thus, throughput can be shortened.

In the embodiment described above, an instance of flushing is performedevery time that a predetermined period of time elapses. However, aninstance of flushing may also be performed every time that printing isperformed throughout a predetermined number of passes. However, shouldfor any reason the processing power of the CPU 72 be reduced, the timerequired for printing would become longer, even if printing wereperformed for the same number of passes. Consequently, the viscosity ofink in nozzles 23 that do not eject ink would increase more thanexpected, and in some cases thickening of ink might not be rectified.Thus, it is preferable to set in such a way that flushing is performedevery time that a predetermined period of time elapses. Further, theperformance of an instance of flushing may be made dependent on aflushing command from a user.

In the embodiment described above, the printer mechanism 21 is of anoff-carriage type in which the ink cartridge 50 is mounted on the mainbody. However, the printer mechanism 21 may be a printer mechanism 21 ofan on-carriage type in which the ink cartridge 50 is mounted on thecarriage 22. In these circumstances, if the cartridge replace button(not shown) is pressed, the CPU 72 judges whether or not data stored inthe memory element 54 attached to the ink cartridge 50 matches datastored in the flash memory 75, and may then determine whether or notreplacement of the cartridge has occurred.

In the embodiment described above, the ink jet printer 20 is shown asperforming the function of a printer. However, the ink jet printer 20may also perform the function of a scanner or a facsimile, in additionto the printer function.

The present application claims the benefit of priority from JapanesePatent Application No. 2006-071372 filed on Mar. 15, 2006, JapanesePatent Application No. 2006-080191 filed on Mar. 23, 2006, JapanesePatent Application No. 2006-086128 filed on Mar. 27, 2006, and JapanesePatent Application No. 2006-101567 filed on Apr. 3, 2006, the entirecontents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

1. A printing device for printing on a print medium, comprising: aprinting module that prints an image onto a print medium by using acartridge that contains a colorant, and for which cartridge is set anumber of sheets guaranteed for printing, the number representing anupper limit of sheets that can be printed; a notification module thatnotifies information on a number of sheets remaining that can be printedwith the cartridge; and a control module that prevents the printingmodule from printing with the cartridge when the number of sheetsprinted by the printing module has reached the number of sheetsguaranteed for printing, and causes the printing module to print animage onto the print medium with the cartridge when the number of sheetsprinted has not reached the number of sheets guaranteed for printing,the control module determining, on the basis of a number of sheets thathave been printed, the number of sheets remaining and causing thenotification module to notify information on thus determined number ofsheets remaining.
 2. The printing device according to claim 1,comprising: a storage module that stores the number of sheets remaining;and an acquisition module that acquires a notification command forcausing the notification module to notify the number of sheetsremaining; wherein the control module, after causing the printing moduleto print an image onto the print medium by using the cartridge, reducesthe number of sheets remaining and causes the storage module to storethe number of sheets remaining; and when the acquisition module hasacquired the notification command, the control module reads from thestorage module the number of sheets remaining and, on the basis of theresults read, causes the notification module to notify information onthe number of sheets remaining.
 3. The printing device according toclaim 2, wherein the storage module is a memory element provided on thecartridge.
 4. The printing device according to claim 1, wherein thecontrol module causes the notification module to notify the informationon the number of sheets remaining in a mode such that a relationship canbe recognized between the number of sheets guaranteed for printing andthe number of sheets remaining.
 5. The printing device according toclaim 1, wherein the control module keeps track of an amount of colorantremaining in the cartridge, and when the amount of the colorantremaining falls below a first predetermined amount remaining, or whenthe number of sheets remaining falls below a first predetermined numberof sheets remaining, the control module causes the notification moduleto notify a message to the effect that the number of sheets that can beprinted with the cartridge is limited, and as soon as, and after, theamount of the colorant remaining has reached a second predeterminedamount remaining, or the number of sheets remaining has reached a secondpredetermined number of sheets remaining, the control module not onlycauses the notification module to notify a message to the effect thatprinting is not possible with the cartridge, but also prevents theprinting module from printing with the cartridge.
 6. The printing deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein: the printing module prints a photographicimage onto the print medium by using the cartridge that contains ink asthe colorant.
 7. A printing device for printing on a print medium,comprising: a notification module that notifies information; a printingmodule that prints an image onto a print medium by using a cartridgethat contains at least a guaranteed amount of colorant for printing, theguaranteed amount being an amount of colorant that is adequate forprinting an upper limit of sheets for printing, the upper limit set asan upper limit of the number of sheets that can be printed; a storagemodule that stores information on amounts necessary, including amountsof colorants necessary, the amounts of colorants necessary being amountsof colorants that are adequate to print a predetermined number of sheetsof each of multiple types of print media; and a control module thatprevents the print module from printing with the cartridge when theamount of colorant printed for printing by the printing module hasreached the amount of colorant guaranteed for printing, and causes theprinting module to print an image onto the print medium with thecartridge when the amount of colorant printed has not reached the amountof colorant guaranteed for printing, the control module determining, onthe basis of the amounts of colorants printed, the amounts of colorantsguaranteed for printing, and the information on amounts necessary storedin the storage module, the number of sheets remaining for each of themultiple types of print media, and causing the notification module tonotify information on thus determined number of sheets remaining.
 8. Theprinting device according to claim 7, wherein: the storage module alsostores the amount of colorant printed; and the control module, aftercausing the print module to print an image onto the print medium byusing the cartridge, adds an amount of colorant which has been usedduring the printing to the amount of colorant printed, and causes thestorage module to store the amount of colorant printed.
 9. The printingdevice according to claim 8, wherein: the storage module is a memoryelement provided on the cartridge. 10-20. (canceled)